Health System Offering
Low Cost Cholesterol Screenings

Be kind to your own heart this Valentine’s Day by getting a low-cost cholesterol screening.

The employees of Kent & Queen Anne’s Hospital and Chester River Home Care & Hospice are celebrating February as American Heart Month by providing a complete coronary risk profile screening (good and bad cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.) on Tuesday, February 13, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the hospital’s cafeteria meeting room. The employees request that participants make a $15 donation which is less than the cost of many insurance co-payments. Proceeds will benefit enhancements to patient care programs at the hospital.

The test requires a 12-hour fast (ONLY WATER MAY BE CONSUMED; no coffee or tea in the morning) and test results will be sent to the patient and the patient’s primary care physician.

Appointments are required and can be scheduled by calling Wanda Robertson at Chester River Home Care & Hospice at (410) 778-1049, weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease but you can help to lower your risk of a fatal or disabling heart attack or stroke by lowering your cholesterol levels. Generally speaking, a one-point drop in cholesterol equals a two-percent decrease in risk.

“The best way to get a respectable cholesterol level is the old-fashioned way-through a low-fat diet, weight control and exercise. Some individuals will not be able to lower their cholesterol levels through lifestyle changes and may need to take prescription medications,” notes Sherrie Hill, RN, MSN, CCRN, Coordinator of Kent & Queen Anne’s Hospital’s Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program.

To complement this low-cost health check, the Kent County Health Department will provide two informational classes about general dietary guidelines for eating healthy plus a supermarket tour in March; both are free to the participants of this screening. Information will be available in the hospital’s cafeteria on the day of the screening.

Coronary artery disease or heart disease is still the number one killer of both men and women in this country and in our community. Across Maryland, heart-related diseases are responsible for about 38 percents of all deaths; the figure jumps to 42 percent in Kent and to 44 percent in Queen Anne’s counties.

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