Located in MUSC’s new Ashley River Tower, the Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program is dedicated to improving cardiovascular health by offering one-stop access to a full range of preventive cardiology services. The program brings together comprehensive cardiovascular exams, nutrition counseling, weight management, exercise prescription, diabetes management and vascular services, as well as early detection and diagnostic imaging. You're never too young — or too old — to begin taking preventive measures. More than 78% of U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 80 have one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The good news is that prevention works — since 1968, U.S. deaths from heart attack and stroke have been reduced by almost 50% largely by addressing the most serious risk factors.  The Seinsheimer program is not a free clinic or clinical trial.  Its services are often covered by insurance.

Eligible Patients
Men and women of any age who have one or more of the following risk factors:

• Family history of heart attack, stroke, sudden death or heart failure
• Abnormal blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides)
• History of tobacco use or current tobacco use
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Poor dietary habits
• Overweight
• Lack of exercise
• Personal history of heart or vascular disease

Services
Comprehensive, integrated preventive care for patients referred with heart disease risk factors and for patients with established coronary heart disease

• Nutrition counseling and weight management
• Exercise prescription and fitness assessment
• Cholesterol management and advanced lipid testing
• Blood pressure control
• Diabetes management
• Smoking cessation
• Screening tests for heart attack, stroke, aneurysm and peripheral arterial disease
• Diagnostic imaging for early detection of atherosclerosis

Prevention Works*
Despite considerable advances in treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

• 78% of U.S. adults are candidates for at least one prevention activity
• If everyone practiced prevention, heart attacks could be reduced by 63% and strokes by 31%
• Approximately half of the reduction in heart disease deaths since 1968 is due to risk factor reduction
• The greatest benefits are from lowering LDL cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, aspirin therapy, weight management and smoking cessation

*Source: American Heart Association

Video: Cholesterol - Important Things to Know

Staff
Pamela B. Morris, M.D., Director
Preventive cardiology is a career interest for Dr. Morris, who serves as MUSC's director of the Seinsheimer Cardiovascular Health Program, director of Preventive Cardiology and co-director of the Women's Heart Care program.  She previously served as the medical director of the Duke University Preventive Approach to Cardiology program and as consultant to the Mayo Clinic's Division of Cardiovascular Diseases in Rochester, Minnesota, where she helped to develop the Mayo Clinic Women's Heart Program.  Dr. Morris graduated from Duke University Medical School and holds a B.A. from Wellesley College.

Jan N. Basile, M.D., has been designated as a Specialist in Clinical Hypertension by the American Society of Hypertension.  He was the Chief of Primary Care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics.  He received his undergraduate degree from Hohns Hopkins University and his M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.  He served his internship and residency at MUSC where his was also Chief Resident.
    

Kellie McLain, NP is an experienced cardiac nurse practitioner charged with diagnosing and caring for patients throughout the hospital and in outpatient clinics.  A recipient of the MUSC Excellence Award for Patient Satisfaction and Peer Recognition Applause Awards for Excellence in Patient Care, Kellie has a BS in Nursing from Clemson University and a Master's in Nursing from MUSC.

Amy Mendez, MPH, RD, LD, is a Registered Dietitian with over 11 years of cardiovascular nutrition and wellness experience.  Her personalized approach to nutrition counseling incorporates a client's lifestyle, family and individual preferences into a collaborative plan designed to maximize long-term success.  Amy has BS and Masters of Public Health degrees from the University of North Carolina.  She completed a clinical dietetics internship at Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston Salem, NC and a public health internship at the Massachusetts Department of Health in Boston.
 Read Amy's article in CharlestonCurrents.com about the top five foods to avoid to have a healthier heart.