Florida Hospital Media Opportunities Featuring Heart Month

Florida Hospital Media Opportunities Featuring Heart Month in February

According to the latest MedPAR data, Florida Hospital does more cardiovascular procedures than any hospital in the country, so this February as part of American Heart Month, we came up with a few story ideas that could help educate the community on a variety of different heart diseases and some heart-felt stories.  We are happy to help arrange interviews for any or all of these suggestions at your convenience. 

Walking for Heart:

The sounds of Michael Buble are ringing through the halls of the Ginsburg Tower at Florida Hospital Orlando.  That is the most requested singer by patients to listen to as they walk the halls to help recover after their cardiac procedures.  Steve Golub knows that all too well because he is the person assisting those patients as they take their first steps after surgery.   Steve takes musical requests from patients to get them moving.  He also designed a creative walker complete with a bicycle bell to make sure nurses, doctors, and passers-by to make way for his patients.  Thanks to Steve's motivational techniques, the end result is patients who recover faster and have shorter hospital stays. Come talk to Steve and his patients for this visual heart story.

Opera Singer Keeps Her Voice:

A local opera singer is back to singing and teaching after having heart surgery recently.  Kimberly Randall uses her voice to make a living, but when she found out she had to undergo heart surgery, she became very concerned that the intubation during her surgery could harm her vocal cords and permanently end her opera career.  After working with her surgeon and anesthesiologist on some modifications to the procedure, she made it through two surgeries with flying colors.  Now, she is available to share her inspirational story.

Expert Physicians Available on a Variety of Topics:

Valve Disease: If left untreated, valve disease can affect quality of life or even become life threatening. Surprisingly, valve disease can even happen to young people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. 

Peripheral Artery Disease: People with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are at high risk to have a heart attack or stroke. About 8 million Americans have PAD and it is often mis-diagnosed as something else.  PAD can often be treated with lifestyle changes and medication.  It is very simple to test for PAD; blood pressure is taken at the arm and on the leg and if there is a significant difference between the two results, PAD is a likely diagnosis.

Women's Heart Issues: One out of three women in the U.S. dies from cardiovascular disease, and nearly twice as many women die from heart disease than all cancers combined. The most common heart disease is coronary artery disease, including angina and heart attacks. To complicate matters, women can experience heart attack symptoms that men don't, such as feeling tired, having trouble sleeping and indigestion.

Heart-Healthy Diet:  There are specific food items that can increase heart health.  Find out what foods are good for the heart and what a cardiologist puts on his/her plate at dinner time.

CONTACT:  For media inquiries only or to schedule a time for one or all of these stories, contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

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