The first ever “World Heart Day” was celebrated in Chicagoland at The National India Hub in Schaumburg, Illinois on September 28th, 2024, with a community-involved workshop on Heart Health. The event was inaugurated by the Consul General of Chicago Indian Consulate Honorable Somnath Ghosh, who lauded the efforts of the National India Hub leaders in serving communities. He commended the Founder of the National India Hub, Mr. Harish Kolasani for his dedication to the community service at the Hub and offered full support on behalf of the Chicago Indian Consulate.

Mr. Ghosh applauded the significant Indo-US contributions of the Founder of the National India Hub Community Health and CPR Training Center, Dr. Vemuri S Murthy, a renowned Indo-US expert in the field of Resuscitation, hailed as “Pioneer of Resuscitation Medicine in India” and “Global Champion of Resuscitation”.

The World Heart Day historic event was endorsed by the Chicago Medical Society, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and Indian American Medical Association, Illinois. Dr. Satheesh Kathula, President of AAPI, the largest ethnic physician organization in the USA, extended the full support of AAPI for the National India Hub Healthcare programs.

The National India Hub with its comprehensive community support services has established recently a state-of-the art “Community Health and CPR Training Center” offering bystander CPR and AED training to members of community and High School Students to promote outcomes in heart emergencies with the guidance of Dr. Vemuri S Murthy.

World Heart Day is an annual event that raises awareness about cardiovascular disease (CVD) and on ways to prevent it. Established in 1999 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Heart Federation (WHF), World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29th every year.
The 2024 theme of “Use Heart for Action” is supporting individuals to care for their hearts and empowering them to urge leaders to take cardiovascular health seriously by providing a global platform for action.

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death and disability among people of Indian origin. The CVD epidemic in Indians is characterized by a higher relative risk burden, an earlier age of onset, higher case fatality and higher premature deaths.

Heart Attack, Stroke, and Heart Failure result in the deaths of about 20.5 million people annually in the world. Studies have shown that 80% of these deaths are preventable. For decades, researchers have been trying to understand the reason for this increased burden and propensity of CVD among Indians.

According to the Cardiological Society of India (CSI), 36% of deaths in India are due to heart disease. The incidence of heart disease among Indians is 50-400% higher than other ethnic groups. About 50% of heart attacks occur in Indian men under the age of 50 years. 25% occur under 40 years. Indians and Indian diaspora (as South Asian Ethnic group) are more susceptible to heart disease than any other ethnic counterparts. More than 4200 sudden cardiac arrests occur per one lakh of the population in India annually, heart disease being the major contributor. 30-40% of these deaths occur between 35-64 years of age.

In his address, Dr. Vemuri Murthy thanked the Consul General for the ongoing support by the Chicago Indian Consulate to various community programs. Dr. Bharat Barai, the distinguished guest at the event, applauded the National India Hub’s contributions to Indo-US community healthcare programs. The Guest of Honor Mr. Ravi Baichwal, an eminent Emmy-Awardee and ABC News Anchor was recognized on this occasion for “his outstanding contributions to the broadcast journalism and ongoing support to community healthcare programs”. Mr. Baichwal released a video urging all to take care of their heart health seriously.
Link: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/1472ddab968db3a328ed1efcf7ba425f20240928023045/9aee196dda5712641b367400220e327e20240928023110/765bff

Healthy-Heart initiatives involving Indian diaspora in the USA. “Awareness, Early Detection, and Timely Interventions” are the keys to enhancing cardiac health and quality of life. The basics are stopping tobacco use, regular physical activity, healthy diet, maintaining an average weight, controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose, adequate sleep, and stress control through meditation/yoga. They should be tailored to the individual needs as advised by their Physicians, Dr. Murthy said.

A community-interactive two-hour workshop involving distinguished speakers Drs.Samir Shah, Meher Medvaram, Radhika Chimata, Gopika SenthilKumar and Deepali Aul on topics such as Cardiac disease among South Asians and Prevention, Heart disease among women and Heart-healthy diet was the highlight of the event. The program also provided EKG screenings and CPR Training for the attendees. Mrs. Smita Shah, the emcee for the program, thanked all the dignitaries and participants who attended the event.