(MURFREESBORO) You’ve heard many broadcasts on WGNS talking about February being National Heart Month, which is still our number one killer. But did you realize that Ascension Saint Thomas, in collaboration with Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine, is the only hospital in the Nashville area offering fetal echo tests, a crucial screening tool that defects heart defects in babies before they are born.
Data from the American Heart Association shows that
- Congenital heart defects are the most common form of birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 40,000 births per yea
- Nearly 1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect.
- Ascension Saint Thomas is a local sponsor for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement. One of the movement's main priorities is ensuring that women have access to the care and resources that support heart health. This includes empowering expectant mothers with information about their hearts and their babies' hearts.
Heart Disease Still Leading Cause of Death in USA
Statistics show that heart disease has been the leading cause of death in America for 100 years straight. In 2021, heart disease and stroke together claimed more lives than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined.
Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital’s President and CEO Gordon Ferguson noted, “The key to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease starts with awareness. It's been great to see our heart surgery program grow over the last year to care for patients and their families in Rutherford and surrounding communities We also extend our gratitude to the dedicated healthcare professionals at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart, emergency medical services workers, and our emergency department associates, whose tireless efforts ensure that individuals experiencing critical cardiac events receive timely and compassionate care.”
About Ascension Saint Thomas
Ascension Saint Thomas operates 13 hospitals in Tennessee and a comprehensive network of aļ¬liated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities. Two of those hospitals are here in Rutherford County: St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital on Medical Center Parkway and the new Westlawn Hospital on Veterans Parkway, this state’s first neighborhood hospital. Ascension is a faith-based health care organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable, through its more than 2,600 sites of care in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
