Downstate to Provide Heart Screenings to Young People at Heart Health Expo at Madison Square Garden, December 13
Dec 10, 2009
Brooklyn, NY - SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University will participate in Madison Square Garden’s Heart Health Expo, taking place in the MSG Expo Center, Sunday, December 13, from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m., during the annual Maggie Dixon Classic, the premier women’s basketball event of the year.
The Heart Health Expo is intended to raise awareness of arrhythmias and other heart conditions in children and young adults that can lead to sudden, unexpected death.
Children and young adults up to age 22 can receive free heart screenings, and all those in attendance can check out educational heart displays, play games, and receive free giveaways.
Baylor vs. Boston College and Tennessee vs. Rutgers are the matchups in this year’s Maggie Dixon Classic, which is held annually in memory of the former Army Black Knights women's basketball coach. Dixon died unexpectedly at the age of 28 due to an arrhythmia caused by a previously undiagnosed heart condition. Three weeks earlier, Dixon had led her team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
Among the services being offered by SUNY Downstate at the Heart Health Expo this year are:
- Cardiac electrophysiology physicians and staff will read the EKGs and provide cardiology information to attendees
- Non-invasive cardiology physicians will administer free electrocardiograms and the director of the Preventive Cardiology Unit will offer advice on preventive cardiology.
- Downstart Healthy Lifestyles Program physicians, psychologist, nutritionist and staff will provide information on weight loss, exercise, and lifestyle change for the overweight.
- Students enrolled in Downstart will demonstrate their exercise program.
- Cheryl K. Murphy, international karate champion and exercise instructor for the Downstart Program, will sign autographs.
- Athletic trainers from the Department of Orthopedics Division of Sports Medicine will answer questions for young athletes.
- The Brooklyn Health Disparities Center will address the health disparities in testing and treatment.
- Sleep Disorders Center physicians will provide information on the importance of good sleep, and the correlation between sleep ailments and heart health problems.
Other attractions will include free CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY); the National Institutes of Health’s “We Can” children’s healthy activity program; the CARE Foundation’s “Tales from the Heart” arrhythmia patient stories; the Mega Heart – a giant walk-through model of the human heart; the New York Knicks’ “Groove Truck” and New York Rangers’ “Bounce House;” and blood pressure screenings and other services provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Also participating are the American Dietetic Association, the American Lung Association, and the Donate Life national organ donor association.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.