Warm Your Heart 5k Race to benefit Northwestern's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute

CHICAGO, Dec. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The second annual Warm Your Heart 5k Race presented by Magnetar Capital is the perfect way to kick off the New Year and start 2013 with heart healthy habits. The 5k race will be held on Sunday, January 6 at McCormick Place. The course includes running through the sky bridge over Lake Shore Drive, taking in all of sights and scenery of the Chicago Skyline. The race also plays an important role in helping the Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute continue the fight against heart disease and bring hope to everyone affected by it.

"We're honored to have the Warm Your Heart 5k Race support our cause at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute," said Patrick McCarthy, MD, director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. "Northwestern's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is doing a lot of pioneering work in heart valve disease, including research into better treatments for bicuspid aortic valve disease, and these funds will go a long way in helping our patients." 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States in both men and women. The heart works to pump 3,000 gallons of blood throughout the body each day. Nine out of 10 heart disease patients have at least one risk factor, but luckily many can be prevented with lifestyle choices including eating healthy, exercising and managing stress. Several medical conditions and lifestyle choices can put people at a higher risk for heart disease including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, overweight and obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol use.

"Optimal health requires a team; it takes both a personal commitment to make lifestyle adjustments and a health care team committed to screen, identify, and when needed, treat those conditions that might otherwise go unnoticed," said Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and magerstadt professor of medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "Together, we can accomplish better health for everyone."

The Second Annual Warm Your Heart 5k is a one-of-a-kind indoor event. As Chicago's only single-loop indoor race, it provides runners the opportunity to run a 5k race in the warm climate of McCormick Place. The race starts at 9 a.m. and will be followed by music and entertainment. Each participant will receive a long-sleeve technical tee with entry. To register, visit the Warm Your Heart website.

"Even if you don't have a heart problem, I guarantee you know a friend or family member who does," said Mark Buciak, an avid marathon runner and former patient of McCarthy. "The funds from the Warm Your Heart 5k Race could not be going to a better place. The focus of 'patient first' at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is not just a mission, but a mission put into action."

Northwestern Medicine^® is the shared vision that joins Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in a collaborative effort to transform medicine through quality healthcare, academic excellence and scientific discovery. 

For more information about heart care at Northwestern Memorial, visit www.heart.nmh.org. To schedule an appointment please call 312-926-0779.  

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is the parent corporation of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an 894-bed academic medical center hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, a 205-bed community hospital located in Lake Forest, Illinois.

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians and 6,769 employees.  Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence.  And, Northwestern Memorial ranks 12^th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2012 Honor Roll of "America's Best Hospitals". The hospital is ranked in 12 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in U.S. News' 2012 state and metro rankings, respectively. For 13 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 13 years. 

SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital