There’s no better time to host an event about heart health than Valentine’s Day—which is why Temple’s Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Program held its ninth annual Heart Failure Education Day on February 14th!
We invited members of local community groups, as well as patients, caretakers, and employees, to TUH-Main Campus for a series of educational sessions and activities focused on heart failure and heart-healthy lifestyle changes.
After opening remarks from the program’s Director, Emad A. Hamad, MD, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant physician Carly A. Fabrizio, DO held a seminar on understanding heart failure. It was followed by a session on self-care and symptom management from Linda Ruppert, DNP, CRNP, AACN, CHFN; Adelie Hagy, BSN, RN; Jamie Hamilton, BSN, RN; Sarah Williams, BSN, RN, CHFN, PCCN-K; and Christine Malloy, RN.Transplant Social Worker Laura Brobst, MSW, LSW discussed coping with illness and caretaker burnout, and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant physician Val Rakita, MD delivered a talk on advanced therapy options for heart failure.
There were also plenty of hands-on activities, including Laughter Yoga with Alexa: a fun way for attendees to reduce stress while promoting heart wellness. We also hosted a live cooking demonstration and lunch with Chef Jeffrey Klova and Clinical Dietitian William Stallings, Jr., who showed attendees how to make simple, nutritious meals like pesto pizza while raffling off prizes!
The event also featured a CPR station, a wheel of fun (with even more raffle prizes), and a photo booth. Everyone posed, laughed, and danced their hearts out—all while learning about how to keep those hearts healthy for years to come!
