Houston Healthcare Hosts "Red Luncheon" for Heart Health

On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Houston Healthcare’s Community Education Department (EduCare) hosted its annual “Red Luncheon” to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease. Over 150 community members gathered in the Cary W. Martin Conference Center to enjoy a healthy meal and hear guest speaker Cynthia Malone, co-founder of Chip’n Away @ Heart Disease, share her husband’s inspiring story of detecting and battling heart disease. Other speakers included Houston Healthcare President and CEO, Charles Briscoe, who spoke about the services available through the Houston Heart Institute, and Sheldon Mattox, director of Houston Healthcare’s EduCare Department, who stressed the importance of knowing Hands-Only CPR.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one single cause of death for both women and men in Houston County, according to Houston Healthcare’s 2020 Community Needs Assessment. “Houston Healthcare is committed to improving the heart health of our community through events such as the Red Luncheon where people can come together, learn and be challenged,” says Sheldon Mattox, director of Houston Healthcare’s EduCare Department.

The event concluded with the opportunity for attendees to practice Hands-Only CPR and a challenge for everyone in attendance to invite the Houston Heart Institute to teach Hands-Only CPR at their place of business, church, or club, free of charge. The goal is to increase the number of individuals who can initiate life saving measures until emergency services arrive.

For information, or to register for free, ongoing heart health classes offered by Houston Healthcare’s EduCare Department, call 478-923-9771 or visit hhc.org/events.

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About Houston Healthcare

Houston Healthcare serves over 300,000 people every year in multiple locations throughout Houston County. Our 282 inpatient beds, three urgent care facilities, nine physician practices and numerous ancillary services have one goal—taking care of the people that call Houston County and surrounding communities home. We provide a wide range of services, including: inpatient and outpatient surgery, Maternity and neonatal intensive care, Advanced cardiovascular care, Urgent care, Electronic intensive care units, Advanced imaging services, Psychiatric care, Physical and cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, Orthopedics and joint replacement, Oncology treatment and 24-hour emergency care. For more information, please visit www.hhc.org.