From the CEO | September

Peter Milne, Clifford Craig Foundation CEO.

September

Spring is my favourite time of year because we can finally say goodbye to the shadows of winter and begin to witness the new season colours, warmer weather, and longer days.

For the Clifford Craig Foundation, it’s an important time on our activity calendar as we undertake our annual “heart health” awareness campaign. Spring is the perfect time to encourage our population to embark upon a healthier lifestyle that will help reduce the risks of heart disease.

Unfortunately, and alarmingly, the North and North-West regions of Tasmania contain the highest number of individuals who are clinically at high-risk of cardiovascular disease in Australia. In fact, Tasmania’s prevalence of heart disease is 2.9 percentage points higher than the national average of 6.6 per cent.

With our partners, St.Lukes Health, throughout the month of September we will be undertaking a major health awareness campaign to highlight the significance of heart disease and what “we” can do to reduce the risk of heart attack.

The old adage of “prevention is the best medicine” is very relevant with heart disease and there are some simple steps that can be followed for a Healthy Heart. These include:

• Become active and introduce some regular physical activity into your lifestyle;

• Eat intelligently & control your intake of cholesterol, calories, and sugars.

 The right balance between food intake and exercise is vital for a healthy heart, plus it enables us to maintain an optimistic mental attitude in the knowledge we are doing something positive. 

“Taking responsibility for heart health” will be our key message and I not only encourage you to embrace the campaign message, but encourage your family, friends and colleagues to join with you and adjust to a healthier lifestyle.

Please join with us to reduce heart disease in our region and personally enjoy the fruits of a healthier lifestyle.

Peter Milne, CEO Clifford Craig Foundation