Health Lecture Series Spotlights Heart Health
Rollins College kicked off its Center for Health Innovation’s 2015 Health Forum Lecture Series on March 9 with a program called “Heart Healthy Across the Ages” drawing approximately 60 people.
Supported with a $20,000 grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF), the Hamilton Holt School series will include four community forums addressing health topics and issues that affect residents of Winter Park, Maitland, Eatonville, and other neighboring communities in Central Florida.
The opening program featured area health experts who shared information and insights on nutrition, fitness, and how to reduce risk factors that contribute to coronary artery disease.
Featured speakers included Dr. Kevin Accola, cardiovascular surgeon and managing partner of Cardiovascular Surgeons, P.A. of Orlando, and Tara Gidus, co-host of Emotional Mojo, a national television show on nutrition and fitness. She discussed how diet and exercise play a key role in maintaining a healthy heart.
Jill Hamilton Buss, executive director of Healthy Central Florida (HCF) described how this unique community partnership, founded by Florida Hospital and WPHF, is working to create the healthiest community in the country. HCF has convened community leaders, volunteers, and other community partners to help individuals and organizations make healthy lifestyle and behavior changes in Central Florida.
“We were pleased that people of all ages came to learn how to reduce their risk of heart disease through lifestyle change,” said Diana Silvey, WPHF Program Director for Older Adults. “The audience was attentive and asked good questions of the local experts who did a great job educating the crowd. In addition to information sharing, free pedometers were distributed to motivate individuals to walk more as one way to promote heart health.”
Other community forums, which are free and open to the public, will be offered later in the year. For additional information, click here, or contact Stephanie Davis at 407-646-2331 or email her at [email protected]
“The Rollins Center for Health Innovation was established to connect the local community with Rollins’ new health innovation programming,” according to Dr. Chet Evans, executive director of CHI. We are grateful to the Winter Park Health Foundation for their funding support and partnership in developing the lecture series’ topics.”
The Hamilton Holt School has over the years reached out to meet the educational needs and interests of thousands of community residents through its nontraditional adult education programs and degrees. As part of the Holt School mission, in 2014 CHI began to develop health degrees in healthcare management and leadership to prepare healthcare leaders and administrators to serve in area medical organizations, in particular, the Lake Nona Medical City, projected to employ 30,000 healthcare workers by 2030.
Click here to read more about the event in the Orlando Sentinel blog Vital Signs.
