More people than ever are thinking about their heart and their heart’s health due to recent sports headlines. February 2023 marks the nation’s 59th heart health awareness month, first declared by Lyndon B. Johnson in February 1964 to tackle heart disease, the “silent killer”. It is often called the silent killer by medical professionals because individuals are often symptom-free. According to Johnson’s Proclamation, “diseases of the heart and the circulatory system are responsible for over one-half the deaths occurring annually of the ten million Americans. This article will introduce an enthusiastic nurse practitioner who made it her mission to help others get and use valuable health screening tools to monitor their well-being at home.
Toi Worthy MSN, APRN, FNP-BC a nurse practitioner tells HER STORY.
“When I was forty years old I mistakenly found that I had high blood pressure while demonstrating to a patient how to check her blood pressure. I had dismissed the prelude of intermittent headaches to stress and my usual occurrences. Later that week, I became highly symptomatic, near fainting (syncopal), and nauseated. Upon seeking emergency care, it was at that moment that I accepted that a potential stroke or heart attack could threaten my body”.
DOC IN A BOX “IMPACTING LIVES ONE BOX AT A TIME”
Toi has made it her mission to educate the public about heart health. In 2019, she created the DOC IN A BOX, as she recognized the need for increased awareness, education, and equipment accessibility. Since its inception she has been “impacting lives one box at a time”. This modern-day first-aid toolkit contains a blood pressure cuff, oral thermometer, contactless thermometer, stethoscope to listen to your heart, pulse oximeter to measure the oxygenated blood, resource cards, and a small carrying case for travel convenience.
HEART DISEASE IS AFFECTING PEOPLE UNDER AGE OF 40
High blood pressure and heart disease are on the rise in individuals in their 20s and 30s. Statistics show that 1 in 5 heart attack patients are younger than 40. That is alarming! The occurrence of Covid-19 created an even greater need for these essential tools to monitor baseline health for reportable changes, especially with a surge in virtual/telehealth visits. Access to a toolkit for the patient (caregiver)promotes a partnership in care during these non-traditional visits and for general self-assessment in-between visits”.
“WHITE COAT SYNDROME”
According to the American Medical Association (2019), “Randomized-controlled trials have shown that self-measured blood pressure predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality better than office BP measurements. Using self-measured blood pressure to guide diagnosing and treating hypertension likely will produce better outcomes than using office blood pressure readings alone.” Many get elevated readings when they go to their medical personnel for physicals, due to a phenomenon termed “white coat syndrome” for example.
WHAT TOI WANTS NHN READERS TO KNOW:
The primary goal is for individuals to successfully learn how to self-monitor, identify, and report changes immediately to their primary care provider and to know when to seek medical attention. The Doc In A Box is not intended for self-diagnostic purposes; it is a toolkit designed to promote awareness, improve response time to changes, and foster the gap in self-health and knowledge. The time to start self-monitoring is before illness or disease occurs to better understand one’s baseline health status. From my personal experience, I’ve always had lower blood pressure, so I never felt the need to self-monitor. However, had I checked my blood pressure at least monthly, I would have recognized an upward trend in my readings. In doing so, I could have fostered lifestyle modifications, such as a low salt diet, or starting medication early enough to help decrease my blood pressure levels.”
Toi says, “I’ve been a nurse for 23 years and a family nurse practitioner for seven years. I care for a diverse population, primarily adults 18+ years and beyond. The most prevalent diagnoses among these patients are hypertension, heart disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes, with the majority lacking the tools for self-monitoring in the home”. Prevention is Key
65 DOC IN A BOXES DONATED and counting….
Thru a grant awarded by Citizens Bank, Toi donated 65 boxes to a combination of two organizations and individuals across Northeast Ohio. One organization, the Union Miles Development Corporation, provided the boxes to seniors in their community. She also decided to donate boxes directly to individuals who otherwise would not have access to an organization or the ability to afford them. There is a third organization on the west side of Cleveland Toi has ten boxes reserved, and they will receive those in the coming weeks.
Toi is available for public speaking events. Please email info@thedocinabox.store for all inquiries and place “Educational Series” in the subject heading. email: info@thedocinabox.store Website: www.thedocinabox.store
Prevention is Key! Untreated high blood pressure and heart disease can lead to significant organ damage, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and death. Numerous risk factors correlate as well.
In an effort to educate the public about heart health, Nordonia Hills.News will be covering heart health-related topics, in a series of articles featured weekly in February 2023.
