Texas Health Resources - The Business of Healthcare

The Business of Health Care Report
The Impact of Heart Disease on North Texas - August 2004

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I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with "The Business of Health Care Report" on News Radio 1080 KRLD.

Today, we will look at how heart disease financially impacts North Texas.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Texas and, combined with stroke, costs Texas more than $9 billion per year. That amounts to about $500 per Texan each year. More money is spent on treating heart disease and stroke than any other type of hospitalization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the counties in North Central Texas have the highest heart disease death rates in Texas.

Unfortunately, heart disease is costing North Texas something more precious than dollars: It’s costing lives. This year, more than 55,600 Texans will die from heart disease, stroke or congestive heart failure.

As a community, we can help lower these costs by taking better care of our own health.

A recent listing of the fattest cities in the country by Men’s Fitness magazine ranked Dallas third, Fort Worth sixth and Arlington eighth. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck challenged each other to a weeklong walk-a-thon competition in June to encourage community families to make healthier choices and increase physical activity.

Reducing heart disease risk factors is only possible through lifestyle change. Encourage your employees and family members to identify lifestyle behaviors that might be compromising their good heart health.

A well-balanced diet plays a vital role in reducing these risks. The American Heart Association recommends eating a wide variety of foods and lowering the levels of saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol in your diet.

You also can reduce your risks by avoiding smoking and excessive amounts of alcohol, becoming more physically active, and properly managing your other health concerns, such as diabetes.

Improving your heart health can save North Texas money and resources and help stabilize health care costs. More importantly, it can save lives. Maybe yours.

For Texas Health Resources and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO Doug Hawthorne with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD.

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