Hospital’s Women’s Heart Wellness Center receives $15,250 raised from 5K run

May 13, 2014 By Kimberly Gensicki

New Britain [May 13 2014] - The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s Women’s Heart Wellness Center recently received a check for $15,250 as beneficiary of the March 29 first annual Running with Scissors 5K Run/Walk in memory of Karen Pfaffenbach at Sears Park in East Hampton. 

The run, with about 200 participants, was organized by a group of childhood friends of Karen Pfaffenbach who died in April 2013 from heart disease. Funds for the center will primarily support community outreach and education for women about heart disease prevention and management. 

“We are honored and delighted to be the recipient of this donation. We look forward to working with the women who initiated Running with Scissors to continue to raise awareness of women and heart disease,” says Justin Lundbye, M.D., FACC, chief of Cardiology. 

The Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) fielded a team of participants and had two stations at the event, representing the Department of Cardiology and WomenHeart of Central Connecticut. HOCC, a founding member of the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance, provides a monthly peer-led support network, WomenHeart of Central Connecticut, for women with heart disease. 

The 5K organizers also presented the hospital’s WomenHeart of Central Connecticut support network with about 80 handmade red scarves created by Glastonbury seniors from the Riverfront Community Center and Herbert T. Clark House and other individuals. The scarves, which support WomenHeart’s national HeartScarves program, will be given to female cardiac patients at HOCC and women new to the support group. 

Those who visit the Women’s Heart Wellness Center, which specializes in cardiac care for women, are seen by a board-certified cardiologist. At the initial center appointment a patient will receive a gender-specific risk factor screening to address cardiac risk factors specific to women, symptom assessment and a physical exam. If necessary, tests will be ordered and followed by a personalized treatment plan. 
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For more information about the Women’s Heart Wellness Center or to schedule an appointment, please call 860-224-5694. For more information or to register for an upcoming WomenHeart of Central Connecticut support network meeting, please call 860-224-5769. 

The Hospital of Central Connecticut (HOCC) is a 414-bed, 32-bassinet acute care teaching hospital with two campuses, New Britain General and Bradley Memorial in Southington. A member of Hartford HealthCare, HOCC services include emergency, inpatient, surgery, laboratory, outpatient, and radiology. Among specialty areas are cardiovascular care, metabolic health, obstetrics, oncology, orthopedics, and psychiatry/behavioral health. For more information, please visit www.thocc.org; for a physician referral, call 1-800-321-6244. 

Photo caption: Pictured with the oversized check at HOCC are (from left) Heather Swales, M.D., FACC, director, Women’s Heart Wellness Center; Lucille Janatka, Hartford HealthCare senior vice president, Central Region president; event organizers Dorothy Winch, Corliss Ucci, JoAnn Pagliughi and Monica Turning; Justin Lundbye, M.D., FACC, director of Cardiology; and Nancy Kroeber, HOCC vice president, Operations.