MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: Over 550 philanthropists, physicians, business professionals and community leaders attended the Seventh Annual Scarlet Night Gala March 14, a major fundraiser for the expansion of El Camino Hospital’s South Asian Heart Center programs.
Combined with leadership gifts already in place, more than $500,000 is now available to fund additional centers in South San Jose and Fremont, joining three others in Mountain View, Milpitas and Los Gatos. Together, the five centers will be able to serve 1,000 residents per year increasing to 3,000 by 2017.
The idea for the South Asian Heart Center began when El Camino Hospital physicians noticed that those of South Asian lineage represented six percent of acute myocardial infarction cases in the emergency department, even though they comprise only three percent of the local population. Many of these patients were not in high-risk categories (over 50, smoker, obese, etc.) so they didn’t exhibit the traditional warning signs.
Working together, community philanthropists, the hospital’s foundation and El Camino’s medical team pioneered a new approach to intervention called AIM to Prevent™, a comprehensive, culturally-tailored program that raises awareness, reduces heart disease and diabetes risk through advanced screening, lifestyle counseling, and personalized coaching, and conducts educational outreach and clinical research.
The Center has screened over 5,200 participants, whose sustained behavior change, as measured by increased physical activity levels and number of vegetable servings, has led to improved cholesterol ratios and triglyceride levels.
“Heart attacks and early stage diabetes continue to be major health issues for the South Asian community,” said Ashish Mathur, Executive Director. “Through the generous support of the community at large, we can continue to expand and replicate our proven and successful program to significantly reduce these health risks facing the South Asian community.”
About the South Asian Heart Center
The mission of the South Asian Heart Center at El Camino Hospital is to reduce the high incidence of coronary heart disease among South Asians and save lives through a comprehensive, culturally-appropriate program incorporating education, advanced screening, lifestyle changes and case management.
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. In addition to state-of-the-art emergency departments, key medical specialties include heart and vascular, cancer care, urology, orthopedic and spine, genomic medicine, and the only Women’s Hospital in Northern California.
The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as back-to-back ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.
India Post News Service
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