In recognition of National Heart Month, newborns at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital are doing their part to promote heart health.

The ‘Red Hats for Healthy Hearts’ campaign is a collaborative effort between the West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center and the West Tennessee Women’s Center. Throughout the month of February, newborns will receive special red hats, instead of the traditional pink and blue striped hats, to raise awareness on the importance of heart health from birth.

Deena Kail, Executive Director of the West Tennessee Women’s Center and Ayers Children’s Medical Center said, “The ‘Red Hats for Healthy Hearts’ campaign is one of our favorite times of year. The initiative allows us to bring awareness to an important issue impacting so many babies.”

According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect.

A congenital heart defect occurs during heart development soon after conception and often before the mother is aware that she is pregnant. Defects range in severity from simple problems, such as “holes” between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, such as complete absence of one or more chambers or valves. At least eight out of every 1,000 infants born each year have a heart defect. Heart disease is also the number one killer of women ages 20 and over, taking the life of one of every four women each year. More women die from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases than men.

The ‘Red Hats for Healthy Hearts’ campaign is viewed as a unique approach to increase the awareness of cardiovascular health.

“West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center wants to do all they can to protect its patients’ hearts,” said Jeff Young, executive director of the West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center. Raising awareness from birth on cardiovascular health is a great way to accomplish this goal.”

For more information, please visit www.wth.org.

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS