On February 11th, the series of brochures “The healthy heart can love more!” was launched. An initiative part of the health and social responsibility campaign with the same name, started and supported by Catena pharmacies. The underlying principles of “The healthy heart can love more!” are: information, education and prevention. This initiative gathers the team of 800 chemists and pharmacy assistants of Catena pharmacies, with the aid of the medical community, and was born with a view to informing the public concerning the cardiovascular diseases. The campaign’s main purpose is to offer a real support to people in need, to help them change their lifestyle.
Actions carried out in the program
– Services provided by the supporter of the program in Catena pharmacies: free blood pressure checks, as well as professional advice.
– Nutritional supplements for preventive purposes will be present with special discounts in Catena pharmacies.
– On the occasion of the campaign “The healthy heart can love more!” 300,000 brochures will be distributed in pharmacies, health centers, and family physician practices. These are meant to develop the awareness of the risks caused by the cardiovascular diseases and are put at the disposal of the public.
– Supporting the distribution of the brochures through insertions in health publications published by the press group Galenus (Your Pharmacy, Galenus – the chemists’ magazine and Tonica) and other health publications.
– Informative workshops.
– Debates and meetings attended by representatives of the medical community and of the patients, representatives of the Government, of the Parliament and mass-media and through a campaign supported by communication on the incidence of the cardiovascular diseases, research in the field and decisions on the European level.
– Dedicated campaign site
Anca Vlad, President of the Group
“As they say, in the beginning was the word. At the beginning of the ’90s was the Fildas word and the motto through which we were determined to become the Name of health in Romania. 20 years later, we were wondering: Fildas, the name of health in Romania? We do our best that it be. Is Catena the pharmacy that helps you? We believe it is. Recently, there appeared a new under-motto, «Catena, the pharmacy of your heart». Why the pharmacy of your heart? Because we care for your heart. Because the leading causes of death in Romania today are the cardiovascular conditions. Because more and more people both at the authorities level and at the population level, become growingly aware of the burden of the health of the heart. Thus we would like to express our support for our patients through the launching of this campaign. Actually, the campaign launched 2 years and a half ago enjoyed a tremendous success. It was an occasion on which we published 100,000 brochures. We thus wanted to resume this program and in this sense, we put out and published 200,000 new brochures.”
Alina Marinescu, General Director of Catena pharmacies
“On November 7th, 2009 the national campaign «The healthy heart can love more!» was launched in the over 200 Catena pharmacies. The purpose of this campaign is to support the patients in adopting a healthy lifestyle as well as to support the national pharmaceutical industry. The campaign «The healthy heart can love more!» aims to offer Catena customers the opportunity to inform themselves concerning the risks and the preventive methods in the field of cardiovascular diseases as well as to educate, through the health and social responsibility programs, the whole population. This campaign also hosts the program for health and social responsibility «The healthy heart can love more!» The program offers from the part of Catena pharmacies:
– informational support through the launching and distribution on a national level of 300.000 copies of the brochures meant to make people aware of the risks caused by the cardiovascular diseases;
– free blood pressure checks, as well as professional advice
– special discounts for nutritional supplements for preventive purposes.”
Ruxandra Andronache, Catena pharmacy Manager
“The campaign of Catena pharmacies «The healthy heart can love more!» aims at preventing and improving the symptoms of the cardiovascular diseases through an accurate informing process centered on the patients and at their counseling in using nutritional supplements used in the prevention of the cardiovascular diseases. During the campaign «The healthy heart can love more!», the patients can enjoy:
– Discounts for the supplements used in cardiovascular diseases;
– Free monitoring of the blood pressure;
– Medical information summarized in the brochure «A healthy heart can love more!»
Every patient can have their blood pressure checked by professional staff and can benefit from professional advice in any Catena pharmacy.”
Dr. Alexandra Grigorescu, primary care physician in internal diseases, cardiologist, doctor in medical sciences
“The main causes of the cardiovascular diseases are the unfit nutrition, the sedentary lifestyle and smoking, factors that can all be controlled. The avoidance of these factors could reduce with up to 80% the number of premature deaths caused by the cardiovascular diseases. 17 million people die annually due to cardiovascular diseases. Every 2 seconds, due to these conditions, a death occurs, and every 6 seconds someone suffers a stroke. According to WHO, in Romania, the mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases is of 61% of the total number of deaths, compared to 37% in EU. The SEPHAR study carried out in Romania clearly shows that 40% of the country population presents hypertension, and over 50% of the hypertensives are newly diagnosed. The cardiovascular diseases represent the leading cause of death in EU and account for 40% of the total of deaths or 2 million deaths per year. Out of the 10 million people that survive a stroke annually, over 5 million remain with permanent disabilities. In 2009, Romania ranked third in Europe as far as the incidence of the cardiovascular diseases was concerned, thus being outrun only by Russia and Bulgaria, according to the American Heart Association. In 2010, according to the latest data, our country ranked forth, with Hungary one place ahead.”
Dr. Camelia Diaconu, internal medicine primary care physician, doctor in medicine, general and heart echocardiography competency
“The cardiovascular disease ranks first as a cause for death in Europe, both in women and in men, according to the European Heart Health Charter. In Europe, they actually account for more than 4.35 million deaths every year (European Heart Health Charter). The incidence as well as the consequences of the cardiovascular diseases can be definitely reduced with an early diagnosis, an adequate management of the condition, recuperation and prevention, including lifestyle coaching. The main risk factors are: hypertension, smoking, high cholesterol level. At least 20% of the hypertensive patients that undergo a medical exam are not aware that they have hypertension even if their blood pressure presents high values. For this reason, a regular check of blood pressure is necessary at least once a year, even in the absence of any disease manifestation.”
Dr. Corina-Aurelia Zugravu, alimentary hygiene and nutrition primary care physician
“One’s lifestyle is a collocation with lots of implications: nutrition, smoking, activity (stress), rest periods, physical exercises, psychological aspects.
As far as the nutrition is concerned, the quantitative indices (how much we eat) and the qualitative indices (what we eat) play a huge role. On a global level, there exist over 400 millions of obese people and over a billion of overweight people, which clearly shows that the overweight represents a major risk factor for the heart conditions: the heart works excessively, the blood pressure rises, the triglycerides levels and the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels increase and the good cholesterol (HDL) levels lower. Any pound lost lowers the risk of heart conditions and strokes. The reduction of salt intake and animal fat intake is strongly recommended together with the increase of fiber, fruit and vegetables consumption. Moreover, the physical exercises performed 30 minutes a day are paramount.”
About Catena pharmacies
Catena pharmacies represent one of the most modern pharmacy chains in Romania, with a large coverage on the territory of the country, with an actual total of over 200 units open. Catena pharmacies count a number of 800 employees, out of which more than 500 are chemists. Catena, “the pharmacy that helps you” constantly offers advice and professional recommendations for a large range of pharmaceutical products, beauty products, derma beauty products, natural remedies and nutrition. Catena’s vision is to become an ultimate bench in the medical world, as far as the quality and the professionalism of the services provided are concerned, the pharmacy chain with the largest numbers of constant patients.
Catena’s mission is to permanently help through advice and professional recommendations, for a large range of products: pharmaceuticals and para-pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and dermato-cosmetics, homeopathic remedies and natural therapies. Catena’s customers can enjoy services such: beauty counseling, blood pressure checks, weight measuring, as well as discounts, special offers and surprise awards for all holders of Catena card. Visit www.catena.ro for further details on the offers of Catena pharmacies.
Taken from sfatulmedicului.ro
