Have you ever asked yourself the question “Is my heart healthy?”

With all the information that is currently available it is sometimes difficult to know if your getting the right information, but at a recent event called The Health Fair for the Healthy Heart, sponsored by the Heart & Vascular Center at Cookeville Regional, residents of the Fairfield Glade community were able to find out the right answers to all their heart health questions.

Jim Smalls, a Fairfield Glade resident explains why he participated in the event, “I’m 81 years old and I’ve been checked out in California but wanted to see how I tested out here.”

The event drew a large crowd with over 100 participants and offered numerous screenings from blood pressure, cholesterol checks and ultrasound stroke screenings. Many enjoyed the ease & convenience of the event.

“I saw it in the paper and it was something we wanted to do. It’s better than having to schedule through your doctor but more than anything it was the convenience,” says health fair participant, Jim Rose.

Another event goer said, “I like having an extra blood work up during the year.”

Many that participated in the “Health Fair for the Healthy Heart” were already familiar with heart disease having experienced the disease first hand, but others received information on heart attack warning signs, nutrition and exercise tips.

Howard Hickerson is quite familiar with heart disease. He was pleased to attend the event and once again see the physicians and nurses who cared for him.

“ I had a rather complicated case. I had 7 blockages and 5 bypasses. I had a good recovery and was out of the hospital in 3 days though. It’s nice to see everyone again.”

Numerous educational booths were available with the latest heart health information and many of those who care for heart patients at Cookeville Regional were on-hand to answer questions.

Registered Nurse, Mark Samples spoke with participants on controlling risk factors.

“You need to know the things you can control like cholesterol, not smoking, getting plenty of rest and exercise. And then knowing the things you don’t have control over like diabetes, family history and those types of things. You need to treat and watch over those risk factors and that would give you the best chance at having a healthy heart.”

Participants also heard from experts in the field of heart care on topics such as new technology emerging in heart surgery and the new daVinci robot.

The Health Fair for the Healthy Heart is an annual event in Fairfield Glade.