illustration of caring for your heart for SBH Dinner woth a Doctor Series

Heart disease is epidemic throughout the country, but particularly in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, where death rates from heart disease exceed 300 per 100,000, about 15 percent higher than the national average, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control.

Next FREE Dinner with a Doctor Series: Tuesday, October 11th (in English) and Thursday, October 13th (in Albanian).

To help the community learn how to reduce the likelihood of heart disease, Dr. Sulejman Celaj, Divisional Director of Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at SBH Health System, will speak on the topic “Love Your Heart with Your Heart” as part of the hospital’s Dinner with a Doctor series on Tuesday, October 11th (in English) and on Thursday, October 13th (in Albanian), with both sessions to begin at 6 p.m. The event, which is free to the public, will be held in the Braker Building boardroom on the St. Barnabas Hospital campus (Third Avenue and 183rd Street.).

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the U.S. and many people in our community are highly susceptible because of a diet heavy with foods that are fatty and/or have high sugar content and a lifestyle that includes smoking and drinking,” said Dr. Celaj. “The shame of it is that by following just a few steps, many people can prevent heart disease.”

The “Dinner with a Doctor” presentation will deal with the symptoms of heart disease, the importance of testing and early detection (including vascular screening), and preventive measures involving diet, exercise and lifestyle.

Born and raised in Kosovo, Dr. Celaj earned his medical degree in Romania and then came to the United States to train in Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he completed fellowship training in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease and was elected a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.  He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,

SBH Health System offers a full-service Cardiology department which includes both inpatient facilities and outpatient offices and clinics in general cardiology and its specialties. In-hospital patients have the availability to be seen and tested by a team of general and specialized cardiologists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A full-service Intensive Care Unit is staffed full time by board-certified intensivists with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment.

SBH Health System’s full-service non-invasive laboratory features extensive testing capabilities for inpatients and outpatients, including Electrocardiograms, Echocardiography (both routine and transesophageal, or TEE), stress testing including nuclear imaging, Holter monitoring, event recorders, and a pacemaker follow-up center.

To reserve your seats, please contact Diana Loubriel at 718-960-9295.


Dinner with a Doctor

Dinner with a Doctor is held at St. Barnabas Hospital on a regular basis, with members of the medical staff available to discuss various health issues while attendees enjoy a light meal.

“We encourage members of the communities we serve to take advantage of our Dinner with a Doctor series,” said Len Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at St. Barnabas Hospital. “It gives them a chance to meet some of the area’s best doctors and get answers to questions they may have on various health and medical topics. We view the upcoming presentation, led by a renowned specialist like Dr. Celaj, as an excellent opportunity for people to learn more about heart disease and how they can protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Dinner with a Doctor is free and limited to 60 people. You must be 16 years of age or older to attend and reservations are required to assure that space will be available. To RSVP contact Diana Loubriel at 718-960-9295. Parking is available by entering the hospital campus at Third Avenue and 183rd Street.

 


Steve Clark