On Tuesday, January 24th, the Heart Foundation of Jamaica launched their annual Heart Month under the theme “Sudden Cardiac Death… Could it Happen to you?” From time to time, including very recently, we have seen the unfortunate cases of young athletes dying from sudden cardiac arrest. We have also seen cases of relatively young persons dying suddenly and prematurely from heart attacks. It is therefore timely and important for this theme to be highlighted taking into account recent events, and also considering the fact that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Jamaica.

The event was sponsored by Foska Oats and Welch’s. Speakers for the launch included Dr. Andrene Chung, Consultant Cardiologist and Chair at the Foundation; Dr. Paul Wright, Sports Medicine Specialist at the Heart Foundation; and Mrs. Deborah Chen, Executive Director at the Foundation. Special greetings were delivered by Dr. Beverly Wright, Acting Director in Health Promotion and Protection at the Ministry of Health.