Baptist Health's 100 Days of Service continues with free heart health screenings on Tuesday, Feb. 13

ELIZABETHTOWN, KY (Feb. 8, 2024) – Baptist Health Hardin will get to the heart of the matter with free screenings on Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m at the hospital. 

Screenings will include blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose checks. There will also be information available about heart attack awareness, as well as opportunities to learn about and practice cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). 

The screening event will be held inside Entrance B in the lobby outside the gift shop. The public is invited, and no registration is required to attend this free event. To access the Entrance B lobby, park in the parking garage or North Tower parking lot.

This is the second monthly event that Baptist Health’s hospitals are hosting to mark its centennial year with 100 Days of Service to their communities. In January, Baptist Health Hardin collected 12,000 diapers, which were donated to Hardin County Schools Family Resource Youth Service Center’s Family Stability program and the ExCEL Teen parent program. As a whole, Baptist Health staff and physicians collected more than 82,000 baby care items.

Heart disease is the #1 killer in Baptist Health’s service areas across Kentucky and southern Indiana. “Though some risk factors are genetic, the good news is that by taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle, everyone can reduce their chances for a heart disease – and feel better in the process,” said Scott Monnin, MD, cardiologist at Baptist Health Medical Group. “Knowing your risk factors and getting screened is the first step, followed by lifestyle changes. Even taking small steps like reducing dietary fat and moving more can make a big difference. Quitting smoking is also essential for good heart health.”

“In Kentucky and southern Indiana there is a critical need for quality heart care at hospitals that offer advanced diagnostic testing, treatment and cardiac rehabilitation,” said Gery Tomassoni, MD, a Baptist Health Medical Group electrophysiologist in Lexington and chairman of the system’s Heart Care service line. “Baptist Health fills that role as a leader in improving the health of our communities.”

Baptist Health has long been known as a leader in heart care. One in four open heart surgeries in Kentucky is performed at a Baptist Health hospital. Baptist Health Hardin has received the ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology; the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award; and the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Honor Roll Elite Award. Baptist Health Hardin has been named by U.S. News & World Report to its 2023-2024 Best Hospitals as a High Performing hospital for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart failure, and stroke. The hospital opened the Baptist Health Heart Failure Clinic in November 2022.

The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville was the site of the city’s first open heart surgery.  On Aug. 14, 1960, Daniel Mahaffey, MD, performed the surgery with his team: Drs. H.W. Bradshaw and Sam Weakley, along with nurses Virginia Evans, Mildred Henson and Patricia Ford. The patient spent 58 minutes on a heart-lung machine during the eight-hour procedure.

Dr. Mahaffey trained under two of the world’s greatest pioneering heart surgeons, Michael E. DeBakey, MD, and Denton Cooley, MD, of Houston. Nearly five months later, Dr. Mahaffey was the first in Louisville to install a pacemaker.

The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville opened its doors in November 1924 following years of rallying community support and fundraising. Baptist Health has since expanded to nine hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds, reaching nearly 75 percent of Kentucky residents and a wide swath of southern Indiana.