Little hats and big hearts at Premier Health hospitals this month

Hundreds of babies at Premier Health hospitals will receive little red hats like these this month to raise awareness about congenital heart defects in babies. Photo/Provided

Hundreds of babies at Premier Health hospitals will receive little red hats like these this month to raise awareness about congenital heart defects in babies. Photo/Provided

More than 600 babies born at Premier Health hospitals this month will be dressed in little red knit hats to help raise awareness of congenital heart defects during American Heart Month.

The hats, which are being distributed through the American Heart Association’s “Little Hats, Big Hearts” program, are intended to draw attention to the menace of heart disease, which is the No. 1 killer of Americans and the most common type of birth defect in the country.

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The program “honors babies, moms, and heart-healthy lives in a very special way,” said Tim Smallwood, “Go Red for Women” director for the Miami Valley division of the American Heart Association. “Supporters are knitting and crocheting red hats to be given out to babies during American Heart Month to empower moms to live heart-healthy lives and to help their children do the same. Together, we are working to raise awareness of congenital heart defects, provide resources and inspire moms to take their family’s health to heart.”

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Congenital heart defects affect 25,000 babies each year in the United States alone, according to Premier, which delivers more than 7,000 babies each year at its hospitals.

“Thankfully, many of these defects can be easily fixed,” said Dr. L. William “Bill” Rettig, chair of the Women’s Health Institute at Premier Health. “Still, some children born with complex defects need special medical care immediately. The good news is that, thanks to modern medicine, children with complex defects typically not only survive into adulthood, but lead normal lives.”

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