Covenant Foundation presents first annual Vascular Health Day

Vascular patients, health care professionals, government and community members gathered for the first annual Vascular Health Day on September 14 at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital.

 

The goal of the event, sponsored by Covenant Foundation, was to raise awareness and discuss prevention of vascular disease. It was also an opportunity to promote the great work at the Northern Alberta Vascular Centre (NAVC), which serves all of Alberta north of Red Deer, and other provinces and territories in the west.

 

“It was a great day, and we really had something for everyone. If you’re a techie, we’ve got some cool stuff here like the simulators and goggles, or if you’re concerned about your health, you can sit down with an expert for some advice,” says Trevor Small, Senior Director Operations for Ambulatory Services, Rehabilitative Medicine and Surgical Services, Grey Nuns Community Hospital.

 

The day-long event included forums of mock operating rooms, nutrition dieticians discussing healthy vascular diets, rehab tours, and vascular screening services. Many people attended a lunch and learn with NAVC surgeons, and other enjoyed the vendor fair with products that support smoking cessation, healthy diets, pole walking, and more. The day closed out with a community walk, in light of evidence that habitual walking (and a non-smoking lifestyle) is the best way to avoid vascular issues.

A highlight for many was the simulators and holo-lens goggles, which allowed participants to stand in a virtual operating room and perform virtual x-rays.

 

The event received a good amount of media attention and publicity. The City of Edmonton even proclaimed September 14 “Vascular Health Day.”

 

“Covenant Foundation gives us the opportunity to raise awareness like this, and we’re fortunate. I can’t do this with operational dollars,” Small says. “Vascular disease is often silent. It’s progressing and you’re not seeing symptoms. So if we can talk about prevention, and get people thinking about their own vascular health, then we’ve done our job.”