American Heart Association 2019

A RELENTLESS FORCE

FOR HEALTHY LIVES

• Community Leaders • Building a Culture of Health • Cardiovascular Diseases Hit Home

2019 EDITION T HE DAY T ONM A G A Z INE .C OM

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WELCOME Dear friends,

Our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. It’s simple but impactful. And it describes perfectly what we are striving to do every single day. Relentless means never stopping, no matter the obstacles. And I think that perfectly describes the AHA and its devotion to heart and brain health.

I would like to invite you to join us and support our mission—become a relentless force yourselves and work toward the common goal of building a healthier Miami Valley. All of us deserve longer, healthier lives and with your help I know we can achieve our goals. Thank you all—with all my heart!

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s I begin my second year as chair of the Miami Valley Division of the American Heart Association (AHA), I look back with pride at the year just past and all we’ve been able to accomplish to elevate health and well-being in our local community.

Our local events, including the Go Red for Women Luncheon, the Dayton Heart Ball and the Greater Dayton Heart Walk, each continue to make a difference. From helping give survivors a voice and a venue during which they can share their own stories and find comfort in the stories of others, to encouraging everyone to get up and move more, to sharing potentially lifesaving messages, our events, programs and initiatives all continue to gain momentum and reach more people.

We are making an extraordinary impact and reaching everyone with our important health messages. This past year, the AHA released a new mission statement, that, for

the first time, does not include mention of cardiovascular diseases! This is because, like our society, our focus has shifted to overall health and well-being—both important to helping combat heart disease— STILL the No. 1 killer of all Americans.

—Michelle Lovely Vice President of Development, The Dayton Foundation and Chairwoman, Miami Valley Division of the American Heart Association

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2019 LEADERSHIP

Meet Our Community Leaders

“The Go Red for Women movement is important to me because I know women are at greater risk to develop heart disease. The American Heart Association’s mission of being a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives aligns perfectly with our mission at Premier Health. I look forward to leading this campaign and encourage everyone to join us in the fight against heart disease in women!”

“I am excited to chair the annual Heart Ball event here in Dayton and I encourage everyone to join me in support of an organization that not only works every day to fight heart disease and stroke but is also a passionate force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

With one-third of our population affected by heart disease, health and well-being should be a priority. The AHA raises funds vital to continuing medical research that saves lives.”

“I choose to support the American Heart Association mission by leading the charge for increased physical activity, health and well-being in our community. The Greater Dayton Heart Walk is the AHA’s premier fundraising event, attracting 10,000 people annually. Altamira and I are proud to be part of this event and honored to be helping the Miami Valley become healthy for good!”

Mikki Clancy, chief operating officer, Miami Valley Hospital Go Red for Women Chair

Dr. Vijai S. Tivakaran, invasive cardiologist, Kettering Health Network Heart Ball Chair

Blaine J. Worthington, senior vice president, Altamira Technologies Corp.

Heart Walk Chair

2019 Local Events

24th Annual Dayton Heart Ball

American Stroke Month

March 23

May

American Heart Month

6 p.m., Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center, Dayton

February

National Wear Red Day Feb. 1

Clark and Champaign Counties Heart Walk Feb. 23 8:30 a.m. registration, Clark County Fairgrounds

National Move More Month April

The Locker Room Talk, A Men’s Health Discussion April 27 Ponitz Career Technology Center, Dayton

Dayton Go Red for Women Luncheon May 2 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center, Dayton

Go Red Goes North Sept. 5 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ft. Piqua Plaza Banquet Center, Piqua

Greater Dayton 5K Heart Walk/Run Sept. 21 7:30 a.m., Fifth Third Field, Dayton

National Eat Smart Month November

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WORKPLACE HEALTH

AHA’s Workplace Health Solutions Helps Companies Build a Culture of Health

By Beth Langefels, American Heart Association

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uilding a healthy workplace can create a self-reinforcing environment that can lead to increased productivity, less absenteeism and lower health insurance costs. It has been determined that worksite screenings alone offer little return on investment for employers, whereas a full health assessment, followed by screenings, behavioral counseling and incentives, all help to achieve significant costs savings.

And who isn’t interested in saving money?

With the rising costs of medical care employers and their employees appreciate common sense solutions that really work. The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Solutions (AHA) offers a suite of science-based, evidence-informed tools and services that help businesses create and build an effective workplace culture of health.

And isn’t health and well-being ultimately what’s most important?

Improving employee health program starts with signing up to use the AHA’s Workplace Health Achievement Index: a comprehensive organizational selfassessment that measures both the health of your workplace and of your workforce.

HERE’S HOW YOUR COMPANY CAN BENEFIT: • Assess your current programs and workplace environment • Create awareness and education around Life’s Simple 7® and the importance of knowing your numbers • Learn how these seven lifestyle and behavior factors not only add up to big differences in workplace health, but also can have a big impact on the bottom line for organizations • Implement a workplace health solution that combines the power of health screen-

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ings with health assessments, behavioral counseling, and incentives, to achieve favorable cost savings • Activate and engage your workforce in health actions to work toward ideal cardiovascular health • Monitor progress with digital dashboards • Qualify for annual recognition from the American Heart Association And speaking of recognition, in 2018 these Miami Valley companies were recognized for their workplace achievements: • The Dupps Co., Germantown—Gold Level • Emerson, Sidney—Silver Level • Homefull, Dayton—Bronze Level • NK Parts Industries Inc., Sidney—Gold Level • Premier Health, Dayton—Gold Level • South Community, Dayton—Bronze Level “As the largest health system in Southwest Ohio, Premier Health recognizes that the fulfillment of our mission—improving the health of the communities we serve—begins at home. When employees are empowered with tools to live healthier lives, they are enabled to better serve their communities and increase their personal satisfaction,” says Brenda Bodenmiller, employee wellness manager for Premier Health.

Workplace Health Solutions also received rave reviews from NK Parts Industries: “Here at NK Parts we care about making sure our associates are aware of their health and giving them optimal opportunity to take action to improve their lives every day,” says Kaitlyn Maas, wellness and medical benefits representative for the company. “Promoting a healthy work environment and a healthy personal life helps to keep our associates happier and keeps productivity levels high.”

Finally, Germantown based Dupps Co. is thrilled with its participation: “The Dupps Co. sees the American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achieve-

TOP: Denise Elsas, Heart Walk director (L) and Kelli Dixon (far right), executive director of the Dayton American Heart Association, present Premier Health with its 2018 gold level recognition for its participation in Worksite Health Solutions. MIDDLE: Employees from the Dupps Co. in Germantown were recognized for their gold level Worksite Health Solutions in 2018. Employees created the company’s “Commit 2 Be Fit” culture as a result. BOTTOM: Tim Lewis, (L) community health director for the AHA’s Miami Valley Division, presents NK Parts Wellness & Medical Benefits Manager Ronda Fogt with an award recognizing the company for achieving the gold level in the AHA’s Worksite Health Solutions program. ment Award as great recognition for our employees that have created our Commit 2 Be Fit culture,” said Jim Vose, human resources for the Dupps Co. Congratulations to all award winners for continuing to create a culture of health in their companies!

For more information, visit heart.org/ workplacehealth. n

SURVIVOR PROFILE

Lebanon Family Focuses on Health after Cardiovascular Diseases Hit Home

By Beth Langefels, American Heart Association

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on and Kelly Lodge met in 2014 at a high school football game. Their kids all attended Lebanon High School in Ohio and they ended up seeing each other at many of the same events. They were married in October of 2016 and blended their families, including three teenagers! Their lives were full and busy when an unexpected event happened that would change them forever.

In August of 2017 Don woke up to get ready to go to his stepdaughter’s soccer game and he felt a pain in the upper part of his stomach. After the game, the family went out to eat with friends and Don was still complaining about the pain. One friend suggested it might be his gall bladder. It lasted throughout the rest of the day and even into the next morning when Don woke up and told Kelly that he didn’t feel like himself. Something was wrong.

Kelly immediately decided they needed to go to the hospital. Don had an EKG after arriving in the emergency room and doctors asked if he’d ever had a heart attack.

Shocked, Don replied that, no, he never had, and he was told he was having a heart attack at that moment!

Because he was not having the “normal” symptoms, a heart attack was not on his radar, yet it turned out that he had a 100 percent blockage in one of his main arteries. Doctors put in a stent and Don remained in the hospital for the next three days before being released.

The couple completely changed their lifestyle after Don’s heart attack, eating healthy, avoiding fast food and exercising regularly. Don went to cardiac rehab as well and lost a substantial amount of weight.

In early February of 2018, Don, who works at LexisNexis, was taking a conference call from his home when he realized the left side of his face was numb. Within a couple of minutes his left arm felt numb 20

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The Lodge family at the Greater Dayton Heart Walk in September at Fifth Third Field. and his left leg was limp. He couldn’t get up from the couch and realized something serious had happened. He called Kelly at work and she rushed home.

Within 15 minutes, Don found himself back in the same emergency room where he had been a few months earlier while having his heart attack. He remained overnight for observation but the next morning when Kelly came to visit him she couldn’t understand his speech and she noticed his mouth was drooping. Don realized he was completely paralyzed on his left side.

Doctors determined that he had suffered a massive stroke overnight.

Don was released from the hospital after 48 hours but was then suddenly facing his life going forward as an extremely disabled person. He went from an active and healthy man to one needing to be assisted just to get out of bed in the morning and move to a chair. He had no control over his leg and his entire left side was not functioning. Kelly

knew her husband would need extensive rehab if he was ever to be able to function normally again.

Today, Don is well on his way back to that normal. Rehabilitation helped take him from an almost fully disabled state to walking with a walker and then a cane by the time he was honored at the 2018 Dayton Heart Walk last September. He has made great strides in his recovery and was proud to stand up beside his wife and their children at the event.

Don’s story is unique in that he suffered both a heart attack AND a stroke within a few months. Though they are both cardiovascular diseases most people do not experience both, especially within such a short time.

As for his Heart Hero status Don said he was humbled, while Kelly was extremely proud and excited.

“It was awesome that Don was able to share his story with so many people,” Kelly says.

“He is an example of perseverance and courage for sure. Don is my hero, every day!” n