Orbost Regional Health (ORH) celebrated 2025 Heart Week between May 5 and 11 by encouraging the community to prioritise their heart health.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia.
Many heart attacks and strokes can be prevented through healthy eating, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight and by not smoking or vaping.
Heart Health Checks are important because people cannot tell when they have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, and these invisible factors increase our risk of developing heart disease.
Jade Macdonald is a highly experienced cardiology nurse who joined ORH in 2024 as the clinical nurse educator. Jade said “Heart Health Checks aim to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke”.
These checks usually involve:
– Identifying heart-healthy lifestyle changes
– Referring you to other health professionals for more support
– Assessing whether you would benefit from blood pressure or cholesterol lowering medicines.
Jade encourages our community members to book a Heart Health Check with a nurse at Orbost Medical Clinic if they are:
– Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and aged over 30 years;
– A person with diabetes aged over 35 years; or
– Older than 45 years.
Heart specialist, Dr David Bertovic visits the Medical Clinic regularly.
“It is so important for patients to fully
understand the reasons behind the
treatments for their heart conditions,” Dr Bertovic said.
ORH thanked Jade and David for their unwavering commitment to keeping local hearts healthy.
Please call Orbost Medical Clinic to organise a Heart Health Check with one of the friendly nurses.
SURVEY
Residents are being invited to complete a survey on your healthcare experience to help improve how hospitals work together across the state. The survey is open from April 22 to June 8 and will take about 10 minutes to complete and will be available in 10 other languages.
All responses will be anonymous and confidential.
Complete the survey here via the Engage Victoria website.
