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Heart Disease Resources

People of all ages need to keep their heart healthy. Eating well, exercising regularly, and seeing your health care provider can help you keep your heart healthy. Work with your healthcare provider and adopt good lifestyle habits to help lower the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease describes conditions related to plaque building up in the walls of the arteries. Other conditions include arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), congenital heart failure, and heart valve problems.

What is your risk?

Heart disease can happen to anyone, including children. You can be born with it, and a family history of heart disease may increase your risk.

Most heart disease develops over time due to poor habits such as smoking or eating an unhealthy diet. Having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease. Talk with your provider about ways to prevent or manage diabetes and control other risk factors.

What is a good resting heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Remember, factors such as age, physical activity, and overall health can affect what is considered your normal resting heart rate.

Talk to your provider if you have concerns about your heart rate.

How does high blood pressure affect heart health?

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Causes for high blood pressure include:

  • Diabetes
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Smoking
  • Not getting enough regular physical activity
  • Unhealthy diets, including high amounts of sodium and alcohol

Talk to your provider about how you can lower your blood pressure to help avoid heart disease and stroke.

How can you lower your risk of heart disease?
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, poultry, and fish; avoid having too much salt or sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week
• Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar at a healthy level
• Don’t smoke or use any tobacco products
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations
Can heart disease be treated?
Yes. Talk to your provider about how to safely reduce the risk of heart disease. You can also talk about setting goals for a healthier heart. Your provider may also prescribe medication.
What are symptoms of a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Be aware of the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in the jaw, neck, arms, shoulder, or back

Call 911 if you or someone you know is having a heart attack.

What can cause Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and meet your body's needs. The following factors may increase your risk of CHF:

  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol levels
  • High blood pressure
  • Poor diet
  • Not getting enough physical activity
  • Smoking and/or using tobacco
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Stress

Talk to your provider to learn more about CHF.

What can cause heart arrhythmia?

A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Factors that may cause arrhythmia include:

  • Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high
  • Caffeine, illegal drugs, and certain medications
  • Dehydration
  • Low levels of electrolytes, such as potassium, magnesium, or calcium
  • Physical activity
  • Strong emotional stress or anxiety
  • Vomiting or coughing
  • Smoke
  • Use illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines
  • Drink alcohol more often and more than is recommended (no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women)
  • Take certain antibiotics and over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines

Talk to your provider about how to prevent arrhythmias.

Here are some resources to help you prevent or manage heart disease:

 

Managing Blood Pressure Flyer

American Heart Association

 High Blood Pressure Resources Page (CDC)

Heart Health Articles and Videos (Healthwise)


 

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Fidelis Care Highlights National Pharmacy Week
10/25/2022 • Posted by Fidelis Care

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Long Island City, NY (October 25, 2022) – National Pharmacy Week, which took place from October 16-22, is an annual observance that acknowledges the invaluable contributions that Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians make to patient care in traditional pharmacy settings, such as hospital and community pharmacies, and in managed care organizations such as Fidelis Care.

Fidelis Care’s Pharmacists support a variety of services, including: developing and implementing evidence-cased clinical programs and medication therapy management programs and services, instituting practices to ensure member safety, communicating and collaborating with members and providers, and managing quality and cost effectiveness. The Pharmacy team at Fidelis Care is responsible for overseeing the prescription drug benefits for over 2.5 million members, ensuring they receive the appropriate medication therapy at the appropriate time.

Through partnerships with providers, retail pharmacies, social workers, and other health care professionals, Fidelis Care’s Pharmacy team works to improve health outcomes by closely examining members’ prescriptions, completing a thorough analysis of a member’s entire medication regimen, and ensuring members have the medication they need when they need it. The team also focuses on identifying potential medication conflicts and suggesting alternative medications as necessary.

“Fidelis Care’s Pharmacy Team is committed to an efficient and thorough medication review process that enables our members to receive their prescriptions when they need them,” said Erick Moncayo, Vice President, Pharmacy Operations. “Our Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians play an integral role in supporting safe and effective medication use for members, which can be a key factor in improved health outcomes.”

In addition to promoting medication adherence, many Fidelis Care Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians work on specialized teams such as Behavioral Health, HIV, and Hepatitis to help the most at-risk members through various case management initiatives.

For more information about Fidelis Care, visit: fideliscare.org


About Fidelis Care
Fidelis Care is a mission-driven health plan offering quality, affordable coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life. With more than 2.5 million members statewide, Fidelis Care believes that all New Yorkers should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Follow us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fidelis-care, on Twitter at @fideliscare, Instagram at @fideliscare, and on Facebook at facebook.com/fideliscare. For more information, call Fidelis Care at 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) or visit fideliscare.org.