Sparrow Launches Effort to Improve Community Heart Health

Published: June 6, 2011

LANSING, Mich. - "The last heart attack I was in the ambulance, and all of a sudden it got really dark. They were screaming at me to stay with them. Then they pushed me into the room, waiting to work on me," recalls Perry resident Carl Sodman, 63, in his patient profile available on Sparrow.org/Heart.

Today, Sparrow Health System re-launched its heart and vascular center Web site, Sparrow.org/Heart. Sparrow's enhanced site provides members of our community - like Sodman - with the tools they need to address heart disease, from education and assessment up to intervention, so they can become more heart healthy.

Expanded features on Sparrow's heart site allow patients to:

  • Order a free smart heart kit, which details information about educational and screening resources provided free-of-charge. Also, in the kit are facts on our advanced technologies and locations.
  • Send our "Have-A-Heart" e-newsletter. Looking for a simple way to get the information on our site to a loved one? Send our e-newsletter, which neatly packages content from our main landing page.
  • Take a heart-risk assessment. Sparrow offers a free and simple screening to help identify and manage risk factors related to heart and vascular disease. To sign up for a free heart or peripheral vascular disease screening today, call 517.36Heart (364.3278).
  • Learn about heart disease from our online health library, which features information on cardiac conditions and related disorders, as well as information on a variety of other health topics.
  • Receive healthy-heart tips. Stay on the right track with our tips for maintaining heart health.
  • Read and share patient stories. Our patients tell their stories, and reasons why they chose us for their care.

In her patient profile, Ida Stockman, 68, noted the reason she has stayed with Sparrow for her continuing care is her cardiologist, Dr. Eugene Choo. "I met him at Sparrow, and I will organize my life to stay near or around him... I believe he is the best, and I have talked to other people for whom he has cared, and they stated they owe him their lives," said the Okemos resident.

Sparrow's Medical Director of Heart and Vascular Services, Joel Cohn, MD, said, "Excellence in patient care and ensuring the best clinical outcomes for all patients is a top priority - but it's not Sparrow's only concern. We want to point members of our community toward heart-healthier lifestyles before they reach our doorstep. And, our Web site is a great resource for that."