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This is problematic because women too are impacted by heart disease and they often experience very different heart attack symptoms than men. For example, men’s typical symptoms include sudden, sharp chest pain with trouble breathing; although women can experience these symptoms too, they more often complain of back, shoulder and jaw pain, nausea, belching, cold sweats and flu-like symptoms. I’m happy to report that, for a remarkable 13th time, Mission Hospital has earned a place on IBM Watson Health’s list of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals for 2019, which means BRRH patients have access to some of the best cardiovascular care in the nation. Fortunately women can focus on factors they can control, like exercising, eating a healthy diet and lowering their stress levels to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, even if they are predisposed to heart disease due to family history.

February is also National Heart Month, a time when it’s important to review how women can take action to lower their risk for heart disease, become familiar with how the signs and symptoms of a heart attack look different for women, and learn about Angel Medical Center’s (AMC) heart care services. Heart disease was long considered a man’s disease, but we now know that it’s the No. 1 killer of women, according to the American Heart Association. For that reason and more, it’s especially important that women be aware of heart disease risk factors, which include being overweight, not engaging in enough physical activity, using tobacco, drinking alcohol beyond moderation and having a family history of heart disease. Since AMC is part of one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems and Mission Hospital is one of nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals (each as recognized by IBM Watson Health), our community members can be confident that they have access to one of the top cardiac programs in the nation.

When IBM Watson Health announced its list of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals last fall, Mission Hospital found itself among the nation’s best centers for heart care for the thirteenth time. Mission Health is proud to celebrate Heart Month this February knowing that our patients and families here in western North Carolina have access to some of the highest quality heart care in the nation. With the standards across the nation being set higher year after year, it’s becoming even harder to become one of the nation’s 50 Top heart hospitals . Our patients have a survival rate for inpatient care of 21-41 percent higher than nonwinning hospitals, and a higher 30-day survival rate.

This month I want to focus on the importance of emergency preparedness, both for you as individual community members and for us at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital (HCH). Through this carefully simulated event, our hospital team and community partners, including the Macon County Emergency Management, the Macon County Sherriff’s Department and the Highlands Police and Fire Departments were exposed to a harrowing situation, one that required critical thinking, precise execution of protocol and teamwork. You can feel secure knowing that HCH is a gateway to one of the most sophisticated cardiac programs in the nation, as evidenced by IBM Watson Health’s repeated rankings of Mission Health as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems and Mission Hospital as one of the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in America. Jackie has enjoyed a career as a healthcare leader for over 30 years, including positions in direct patient care, advanced practice nursing, nursing management and hospital administration.