Conyers, Ga. (July 24, 2023) – Piedmont Rockdale Hospital will begin offering women’s heart screenings Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Piedmont Heart Institute’s Women’s Heart Screening Program, which began in 2013, will now include the Rockdale community, making it the ninth location available to patients across the Piedmont footprint.  The goal is to have the screening program be available in 10 communities throughout the state to make “10 for 10” in honor of the Women’s Heart Program’s 10-year anniversary.

Piedmont Heart Institute’s Women’s Heart Program was created to address the unique cardiovascular needs of women. This program recognizes that women’s needs frequently go unnoticed and are under-assessed. Since its inception, Piedmont’s Women’s Heart Program has grown to care for more than 12,000 patients across Georgia.

Jyoti Sharma, M.D., medical director of the program, says the growth of this program is to help promote and increase awareness of cardiovascular disease in women.

“The signs for heart disease in women can be different and are often misunderstood. Women are often the caregivers for others and we neglect taking care of ourselves.  We want to offer women the care we know they need,” Dr. Sharma said. “We are empowering women to take charge of their heart health so that they will live longer, healthier, fuller lives.”

Heart disease and stroke cause 1-in-3 deaths among women each year, according to the American Heart Association, and remains the No. 1 cause of death among women in the United States and Georgia. This is one thing Druenell Linton, M.D., cardiology specialist at Piedmont Rockdale, wants to tackle in the Conyers-Rockdale community.

“My goal is to help improve early detection and, in some cases stop heart disease before it’s too late,” said Dr. Linton. “Many communities are underserved because they are unaware of the symptoms, especially in women. At Piedmont Rockdale, we’re determined to make sure our women do not become a statistic. Access to this screening will allow our women to make more informed decisions about their heart health and understand preventive care.”

The first clinic will be held at Piedmont Heart of Rockdale with three initial slots at 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. with Enas Basha, APP, leading the clinic. Piedmont Heart’s women’s heart screening is $99 regardless of insurance and is designed for all women. It does not require a referral from a physician. All women without a pre-existing heart disease are eligible for the screening, which includes a physical exam, lab work and complete health history. Participants also receive a comprehensive heart health report they can take home with detailed recommendations and next steps.

In addition to a screening program, the Women’s Heart Program also includes a Support Network.  Piedmont Heart cardiologists understand that women need a more holistic approach to cardiovascular care: one that looks after women’s heart health outside of the relatively brief amount of time that a patient spends with her cardiologist.

The Women’s Heart Support Network has three pillars:

• Nourish: Focusing on nutrition and creating habits for women to eat a heart healthy diet.
• Flourish: Engaging in tactics to foster mental wellbeing and stress reduction.
• Thrive: Focusing on intentional movement and engendering habits to remain physically active.

Visit piedmontred.org to learn more or to sign up to take the women’s heart screening at Piedmont Heart Institute in Conyers.