Baptist Health gives back with heart health screenings
Louisville, KY (Nov. 19, 2024) - Nearly 1,300 people took their health to heart through free screenings offered by Baptist Health in February as part of its year-long 100 Days of Service.
This was the second monthly event that Baptist Health’s hospitals hosted to mark its centennial year. In January, Baptist Health hospitals and physician offices collected 35,838 diapers and 45,962 wipes which were donated to 10 local agencies.
Heart disease is the #1 killer in Baptist Health’s service areas across Kentucky and southern Indiana. Tackling heart disease is a top need identified by Baptist Health Corbin, Baptist Health Floyd, Baptist Health Lexington and Baptist Health Louisville in a community health needs assessment.
“In Kentucky and southern Indiana there is a critical need for quality heart care at hospitals that offer advanced diagnostic testing, treatment and cardiac rehabilitation,” said Gery Tomassoni, MD, a Baptist Health Medical Group electrophysiologist in Lexington and chairman of the system’s Heart Care service line. “Baptist Health fills that role as a leader in improving the health of our communities.”
Baptist Health has long been known as a leader in heart care. One in four open heart surgeries in Kentucky is performed at a Baptist Health hospital
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville was the site of the city’s first open heart surgery. On Aug. 14, 1960, Daniel Maheffey, MD, performed the surgery with his team: Drs. H.W. Bradshaw and Sam Weakley, along with nurses Virginia Evans, Mildred Henson and Patricia Ford. The patient spent 58 minutes on a heart-lung machine during the eight-hour procedure.
Dr. Mahaffey trained under two of the world’s greatest pioneering heart surgeons, Michael E. DeBakey, MD, and Denton Cooley, MD. Nearly five months later, Dr. Mahaffey was the first in Louisville to install a pacemaker.
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville opened its doors in November 1924 following years of rallying community support and fundraising. Baptist Health has since expanded to nine hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds, reaching nearly 75 percent of Kentucky residents and a wide swath of southern Indiana.