February Patient Newsletter

What is heart disease?

Heart disease can refer to several different types of heart conditions. The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease, which affects the blood flow to the heart. Decreased blood flow can cause heart attack. 

What are the risk factors for heart disease?

• High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. 
• Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at high risk including diabetes, being overweight, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. 

How to live heart-healthy

• Understand risks, talk with your provider about conditions or habits that you have. 
• Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. If these numbers are high, work with your provider on getting them in a healthy range.
• Choose heart-healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, while limiting fats and added sugars. 
• Aim for a healthy weight and get regular physical activity. 

COVID-19 Vaccinations, COVID-19 Home Test Kits, and Free N95 Masks

• Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can lower your risk of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. Vaccines can also help prevent serious illness and death. 
• If you already had COVID-19, you should still get a COVID-19 vaccine for added protection. 
• COVID-19 vaccines become less effective at preventing infection or severe illness over time, especially for people ages 65 years and older. This is why booster shots are recommended for people ages 12 years and older who have completed their primary vaccination series. 
• At SCHC we offer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines and booster to our patients. For more information call (530) 246-5710. 

Did You Know?

• Not only do we test our patients for COVID but we also may be able to treat you if the condition is early, you are at high risk, and are a good candidate for the new medicines. 
• Please speak to your clinician about possible treatment options if you have been confirmed by test to have COVID and are in a high risk group (have serious medical conditions and/or are in an advanced age group and in danger of hospitalization due to COVID). There are some potential medicines that can help. However, these medications are not substitutes for getting fully vaccinated.  

COVID-19 Home Test Kits and FREE N95 Masks

• Please ask us if we have FREE home test kits available at your next visit. 
• FREE kits are also available through the federal government via the United States Postal Service. Go to  https://special.usps.com/testkits to order your home test kits today.
• FREE N-95 Masks 
• Soon we will be receiving a supply of N-95 masks for our patients. We will be sending a message out across our social media when they are available. See the first page of this newsletter to follow us.  

For more information click on the logo below.