An upcoming event in Maryville with “heart and sole” will benefit the American Heart Association and raise awareness of heart health.
Rita Miller is the Community Relations and Development Manager at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital in Maryville. Miller is part of organizing the 7th Annual Heart and Sole 5K and said the event started as a way to honor the memory of two community members.
“Scott Bostwick was one of the football coaches out at Northwest. He had just been promoted to the head coach position when he had a significant heart event. Dale Kisker was a teacher and a coach at Maryville High School and, he too, had a heart attack and passed away,” Miller said. “It really got people involved in thinking about their heart health more and, ever since those two passed, we have decided to make our own local heart walk. The American Heart Association has some big events throughout the country, but we wanted to keep this one local because we wanted to identify with the local victims and survivors of heart disease.”
The 5K also serves as an event to raise awareness of heart attack and stroke, and encourage healthy eating and physical activity to improve heart health.
Miller said, like the rest of the country, Nodaway County has a significant mortality rate due to heart disease with it ranking number one as a cause of death in the county.
SSM Health St. Francis Hospital has been holding Second Saturday Screenings as part of the Maryville Farmers Market.
“We decided to have our heart walk be part of our Second Saturday screenings,” Miller said. “We do blood pressure screenings, we’ve done cholesterol checks, we’ve taught people how to do hands-only CPR and this works right into that goal of raising awareness of heart disease and what people can do to improve their heart health.”
Registration forms for the Heart and Sole 5K are available at the front desk at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital in Maryville or click here. Registration will also be available the day of the race starting at 7 a.m. The walk begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8th at the Farmers Market at 4th and Buchanan Streets in Maryville.
For more information, contact the Community Relations and Development office at (660) 562-7933.