JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of all Americans? In fact, someone dies from cardiovascular disease every 39 seconds. Sometimes, a little knowledge can go a long way in preventing it, and could save your life.
That's why Channel 4 is partnering with the American Heart Association to bring you the HeartChat during the 5 to 7 p.m. newscasts on Thursday.
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Doctors from the Mayo Clinic and Florida Blue will join us on set and will answer your questions through our website, Twitter and Facebook. During this chat you will have the chance to ask questions regarding your heart health.
"We know that social media is an important part of how people communicate. Education and prevention are vital to our mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke," Katie Seay, communications director of the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Heart Association said.
We will also be interviewing the doctors about different, specific heart health related issues like warning signs, new technologies, and how you can prevent heart disease during our newscast.
"In 2011, more than 3,000 First Coast residents, or 3,000 friends, family members and neighbors died due to heart disease and/or stroke. How many of the 3,000 deaths could have been prevented if the victim or a concerned partner was armed with the necessary knowledge to save their life?" Seay said. "Prevention and education are must haves in order to end these senseless deaths. We are here as a valuable resource and trusted partner as people work through their cardiovascular disease or stroke diagnosis."
If you want to participate in our HeartChat, you can do so in one of three ways: We will have a link to the online chat on our homepage, you can tweet your questions using #Talking4Heart, or you can post your questions to Channel 4's Facebook wall. You can also post questions to the American Heart Association's Facebook page.
Stay tuned. Once the chat page is live, you will be able to sign up for an email reminder to participate in the online chat. We'll share that link on our social media pages when it's live.