Newborns sporting red hats for a cause

The American Heart Association and Baptist Health Paducah launch 'Little Hats, Big Hearts'

During February, every newborn at Baptist Health Paducah will receive a hand-knitted red hat as part of the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaign to raise awareness and promote heart health.

 Baptist Health is partnering with the American Heart Association program to raise awareness about heart disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect. 

“I am thrilled Baptist Health partners with us to educate the community on heart disease and stroke,” said Suzanne Riley, Division Director of the American Heart Association, “and the ‘Little Hats, Big Hearts’ campaign is just one of the ways we share our mission.”

Chris Roty, president of Baptist Health Paducah, said the campaign is appropriate for the hospital that delivers more babies than any other in the region and was the first to open a heart center 11 years ago. “Our Baptist Health caregivers focus on our patients every day to improve the health of our community,” he said, “so we embrace this opportunity to remind our young parents and their families the importance of heart health.”

“Little Hats, Big Hearts” began in Chicago in 2014. The project has grown to include 660 hospitals in 40 states handing out more than 100,000 hats. The American Heart Association collected knitted hats from volunteers for several months to prepare for the Heart Month campaign. If you would like to help support the program, contact Riley at [email protected] for more information.