Heart Health Checks recommended for Hunter and New England residents in Heart Week

Heart Health Checks are a 20-minute GP assessment to determine the risk of heart attack or stroke. They can detect issues with heart health, including coronary heart disease, which is usually the underlying cause of a heart attack - Australia’s number one cause of death.

Laureate Professor Clare Collins from the University of Newcastle, NHMRC research fellow and newly appointed director of the HMRI Food and Nutrition research program said the recent high profile fatal heart attacks suffered by cricket legend Shane Warne and Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching, both in their early 50s, have added an additional sense of urgency for the community. “Many people are not aware of their risk factors for heart disease and some risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be silent. As we saw through the recent deaths of two prominent Australian’s – no one should put off their heart health,” Dr Collins said.

To support regularity in heart health checks, The PHN has partnered with The Heart Foundation in the Text to Detect Program. The Heart Foundation is offering 200 general practices the opportunity to participate in the program that supports targeted identification and management of CVD via an innovative SMS recall system.

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