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Prevent the Event:
Real answers so you and your loved ones can avoid heart attacks

An Exciting New Lecture was held on November 1, 2005

 


Mayor Koblenz with Phil Perlman, Chair of the Medical Commission, Dr. Guy Mintz, and Commander David Diamond shown at the highly successful program.
Within weeks of his appointment by Mayor Michael Koblentz, the new Chair of the East Hills Medical Commission, Dr. Philip W. Perlman and his committee announced a new 2005 lecture.

On November 1, 2005, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., the Medical Commission presented a program entitled “Prevent the Event: Real answers so you and your loved ones avoid heart attacks.” The presentation will be given at Village Hall by Dr. Guy L. Mintz, Associate Professor of Medicine NYU and Attending at North Shore University Hospital. As another special feature of the program, resident David Diamond will present “Emergency Medical Response in East Hills.” David Diamond is the former Captain of Roslyn Highlands Fire Department. Mr. Diamond also be showed a slide presentation on “Hurricane Katrina-What really went on in New Orleans: A first hand account.” Mr. Diamond completed two tours of duty in New Orleans as the Commander, New York 2, Disaster Medical Assistance Team. 

Please scroll down or click here to read a summary of the evening.
 

The audience was glued to their seats during the program.

 		 Mr.. Guy Mintz addresses the audience during his presentation on "Prevent the Event" of a heart attack.
 		 Commander David Diamond speaks on his harrowing experiences during two major catastrophes.
 
The East Hills Medical Commission has been in existence for 15 years. In the past it has supported residents of by sponsoring flu vaccination drives, holding relevant medical lectures by physicians and health care professionals that reside in East Hills, and addressing medically relevant issues as they arise including West Nile Virus updates and cellular phone towers in our neighborhoods.

Dr. Perlman, who together with his commission members organized the program, is the Chief of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn and has his practices as an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist in Manhasset.

Mayor Koblenz said he “was delighted with that the Medical Commission had taken the leadership in presenting a program on such an important medical issue. He thanks Dr. Perlman, Dr. Mintz, and Mr. Diamond for their important contributions to the residents in the East Hills.” Chairman Perlman responded that “It is a privilege to serve our unique community in this capacity. We have very proud and dedicated professionals that live in East Hills who are willing to share their time, experiences and expertise to benefit their fellow residents. In the future the member of the Commission will continue to address health issues that most greatly concern the residents of East Hills.” Other prominent members of the Commission include Dr. Steve Allen, Dr. Aaron Cohen, Dr. Guy Mintz. Dr. Mark Silberman, and Dr. William Blau.
 
Medical Lecture Fills the House in East Hills

EAST HILLS, New York – On Tuesday November 1st,The East Hills Medical Commission, appointed by Mayor Koblenz and led by Dr. Philip Perlman, invited Dr. Guy Mintz, a cardiologist, to educate the residents of East Hills on how to avoid heart attacks. The second speaker, David Diamond, a member of Highlands Fire
Department and Commander of the New York II Disaster Medical Assistance Team for the federal government under FEMA, spoke on what should be done in an emergency situation, and what really went on in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Guy Mintz is the Associate Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He also serves on the East Hills Medical Commission. The purpose of his lecture was to inform the people of East Hills about the leading cause of death in America, heart disease. Many people believe that cancer is the number one cause of death; however, the biggest health threat is heart disease with approximately 2500 Americans dying from the menacing problem every day.

Among the causes of heart disease are bad dietary habits, lack of exercise, build-ups of bad cholesterol (LDL), high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and genetics. Putting genetics aside, people can help themselves prevent the risks of obtaining heart disease. The single best effort towards prevention, according to Dr. Mintz is exercise. Ideally, people should exercise at 40-minute intervals 4 times a week or more. This is an excellent workout for the heart. Another key element to prevention is improving dietary habits. People should eat more healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and eliminate excess fats in their diets.

One method to diagnose heart disease is to submit to a stress test. The test is usually done on a treadmill and the results of your stress test may help your doctor decide if you have heart disease, and if so, the severity.

The next speaker was Commander David Diamond. Mr. Diamond discussed pre-hospital care in case of an emergency. Emergencies range from people choking or to severe heart attacks. He said it was necessary to learn CPR. If an EMS unit cannot make it to your house quickly enough, the use of CPR can save the life of the person in need. While performing CPR he urged everyone to always check their ABC’s (airway, breathing, circulation). While performing CPR the individual should engage in 4 cycles of compressions for 15 seconds each.

An important part of his lecture was his insistence of the creation of an ICE (In Case of Emergency) envelope to keep somewhere in your house, preferably on the refrigerator. The information that would go in such an envelope would include certain medications, allergies, medical history, and advanced directives (for example do not resuscitate orders) of the person.

Mr. Diamond also discussed his involvement in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Diamond is part of a DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team). A DMAT provides medical care to the nation and its territories during a catastrophe. Its members are trained to survive in austere conditions for 72 hours and treat up to 300 patients a day among other things.

Mr. Diamond revealed the true severity of the situation in New Orleans from the perspective of a person who, had witnessed, first-hand the total devastation. “People” he said, “were swimming for their lives, starving, and trying to find lost relatives and family. There was an atmosphere of sheer chaos.”

Each of the three presentations helped educate the close to 100 East Hills residents who attended on completely different topics. Yet, the common thread was the protection and health of the public, whether by avoiding heart attacks, immediately treating the sick during emergency situations or saving lives during catastrophes. The death of knowledge imparted was enlightening.

(The information in this article was submitted by East Hills Government Apprenticeship Program Intern Andy Crystal. Mr. Crystal is a senior at the Roslyn High School.)