Welcome to Check Up 13, in partnering with St. Vincent

WTHR, Channel 13, and Anne Marie Tiernon, co-anchor and health reporter, have partnered with St. Vincent, a member of Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system, on an initiative called Check Up 13. The goal of the program is to educate and encourage Indiana residents to take a proactive role in their own health. Check Up 13 includes news stories that will air on the 13th of every month during the Health Beat segment. The program will highlight St. Vincent medical staff and focus on the health topic screening, event or promotion for that month.

Show Your Heart Some Love With a HeartScan

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Known as the ‘silent killer,' one of every four deaths in America is related to heart disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, someone in the U.S. suffers a coronary event every 34 seconds and each minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event. Because heart disease often strikes without warning or symptoms, many people do not know they are at risk until it is too late.

So how do you stay ahead of this deadly disease? Consider a HeartScan. Quick and painless, a HeartScan is conducted with a non-invasive CT scanner, which allows doctors to scan images of the heart's arteries and examine them for hardened plaque — one of the early warning signs of heart disease. If treatment is needed, doctors can offer a full range of options and suggest lifestyle changes to decrease risk of heart disease and heart attack.

And, the HeartScan is affordable at $49. To qualify, patients must be 40-years-old or older, not have had the HeartScan within the last five years, and must have at least one of the following risk factors:

• A family history of heart disease
• History of a stroke
• Other vascular disease
• Smoking
• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure

It is recommended that individuals consult with their physician before undertaking the test. Individuals are also encouraged to review HeartScan results with their physician.