Tamworth to host Heart Week Walk, Chat and Check

The Tamworth community is being encouraged to wear red and join in the Heart Week Walk, Chat and Check on Tuesday 2 May.

Lead by the Heart Foundation’s Tamworth Walking Group and the cardiovascular working group, the day will kick off at 7:30am with a river walk through Tamworth’s Bicentennial Park, followed by light refreshments and blood pressure checks.

Heart Week is Australia’s national heart health awareness campaign held in the first week of May each year. It provides an opportunity for health professionals and the Australian public to start a conversation about heart health and take positive steps to reduce heart disease risk.

This year’s Heart Week encourages all Australians to do three simple things to look after their heart; check their blood pressure, use the Heart Age Calculator to understand their risk of heart disease, and book a Heart Health Check with their GP.

Richard Nankervis, CEO of the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network said, “One in four Australian deaths is due to cardiovascular disease. Heart health checks are quick and simple, but most importantly they save lives. We encourage the community to join us on May 2 to enjoy a walk, talk to our health professionals, and have your blood pressure checked.”

Acting CEO of Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service (TAMS), Damion Brown said. “ TAMS welcomes the Tamworth community to join this great activity. Walking is a low impact great way to reduce weight, cholesterol and goes a long way to improve wellbeing.’

Andrew Mahony, Managing Director of Rural Fit said, “We have been proud to support the wonderful people of the Heart Foundation Walking Group for a number of years now. Complimenting regular exercise with a health check that includes blood pressure, is a simple yet important step to tackling cardiovascular disease.”

Heart Week comes just prior to the mid-year release of the Guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) - the first major update in over a decade.

The new Guideline will provide the latest evidence-based recommendations and introduce a new risk equation tailored for use in Australia. This new risk calculator takes into account ethnicity and social deprivation and is highly applicable in the Australian primary care setting.

The Guideline and calculator are set to become the new standard for evaluating and managing CVD risk in Australia.

Tamworth’s cardiovascular working group is a collaboration between Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (the PHN), Tamworth Regional Council (TRC), Rural Fit, Heart Foundation, Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service and University of Newcastle. The aim of the cardiovascular working group is to raise awareness of heart health, implement prevention initiatives and encourage community participation.

For more information: Rebecca Brennan, Communications and Public Relations Manager rbrennan@thephn.com.au 0437 478 138

The Primary Health Network works with health care providers across the Hunter, New England and Central Coast. Through our innovative programs our communities benefit from greater coordination, better systems and improved access to health care.