Coast promotes heart health for women during Wear Red Day

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Sometimes you can’t be serious, unless you have a party. And sometimes it takes an event to spread the message.

“We do what we do in October, but we need to start doing what we do year-round for heart awareness,” said Pam Taylor, senior patient recruiter for Velocity Clinical Research in Gulfport.

Friday was Wear Red Day, and Velocity decided to go all out with themed t-shirts and photo sessions for the mostly female staff. The motive is both professional and personal for Taylor.

“It just touched me this year,” she said. “I personally have something going on in a few weeks with my heart and I wanted to educate women.”

Heart disease has been an insidious part of her life.

“My dad had a heart attack at 41,” Taylor said. “It changed our lives. He owned his own business and he, from that heart attack, became disabled. He died at a young age.”

So, it’s no surprise that Taylor is hoping that her clinical research company can be part of a solution. She said the clinic is actively pursuing trials for brand new medications to treat diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity.

“If we can help develop some type of medication for those three, we’ve taken three of the biggest precursors out of heart disease,” Taylor added.

Memorial also got into the fun with team photos with a backdrop of inspiration. But the message is always front and center.

Brandy Williams is Memorial’s clinical outcomes and project manager with cardiac and critical care. She said because the signs of heart disease in women are more subtle than in men, regular checkups are necessary.

But there’s more you should do.

“We all have the power to make a change just by walking 30 minutes a day,” she said. “And just by eating healthier, eating fresh vegetables and fruits, cutting out sugar, and improving our diet.”

Heart specialists also say that CPR is a life-saving skill we should all learn.

If you want to be a volunteer in clinic trials, check out Velocity Clinical Research: https://velocityclinical.com/locations/velocity-clinical-research-gulfport

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