Morris Westfall is one of many Ozarks residents facing heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, people who experience heart failure generally lose 10 years of life.
In 1994, Westfall was elected to the state Senate, but in 1995 he had a heart attack.
Now, he regularly visits Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar to get exercise, as a way to keep himself accountable.
When he had that heart attack, Westfall said the pain was mild on the first day.
"I had a slight pain in...really in my back more, kind of in my chest, but it was minimal, and I kept thinking, ‘oh, I’m stopped up or something,' and I put up with that too long," he said. "I think the second day all of a sudden I got a pain in my left arm and again not severe but definite pain. And I said immediately to my wife, ‘I need to go to the hospital.’"
Westfall believes that exercise is the most important activity a person can do to lower the risk of a heart attack. And having a hobby to keep stress levels in check is just as important.
“I guess the icing on the cake is the exercise and probably having something to relax you from time to time,” Westfall said. “I’m not saying spend full time riding a horse or golfing or whatever your hobby is, but do some of it is my recommendation — and exercise.”
One of the things Westfall did to help his heart was cut back on the amount of salt he consumed in order to keep his blood pressure in check.
According to the American Heart Association, from 2017 to 2020, 46.7 percent of U.S. adults had hypertension. In 2020, 119,997 deaths in the U.S. were caused by high blood pressure.
After Westfall experienced his heart attack, he hoped he would live to 70.
“I’m still here — beyond my expectations. When I had that heart attack I prayed to live till 70. I’m 84,” Westfall said.
80 percent of heart disease risk is attributed to environmental factors
According to the CDC, heart attacks occur every 40 seconds in the United States, and every 33 seconds, people die from cardiovascular complications.
Tracy Mitchell, administrative director of Population Health Services at CoxHealth, said only 20 percent of heart disease is attributed to genetics and the other 80 percent to environmental factors otherwise known as social determinants of health or health-related social needs.
“If you don’t live in a really safe neighborhood, it may prevent you from getting out and walking or feeling comfortable doing that. If you don’t live close to where there’s fresh healthy foods available to you, you might not be able to partake in those,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell knows that a person’s mood and even getting good sleep lowers the risk of heart disease.
“A lot of people are at risk for heart disease, and they don’t even know it. Our bodies are amazing and have the capacity to compensate for maybe some bad habits when we’re younger. But there are a lot of things we can do to prevent and control heart disease," Mitchell said. "Diet, exercise, good sleep and controlling our moods and, you know, mental health factors all contribute to lowering risk."
Data collected by Ozarks Health Commission for several years before the pandemic show that the Springfield community fares a little bit better than Missouri as a whole in terms of heart disease deaths. But mortality rates are higher here than elsewhere in the country.
According to ozarkshealthcommission.org, data from Missouri in 2015 to 2019 showed that the mortality rate of heart disease was 191.2 per 100,000 people, versus 183.8 in Springfield.
When a heart attack occurs, doctors place a stent inside of a blocked artery. It is placed at the tip of a catheter over a balloon which expands to keep blood flowing to the heart. Once the stent is open, the balloon is deflated and everything but the stent is removed.
Marc Reitzner, physician assistant and structural clinic coordinator at Cox, describes the benefits of stenting as a short-term solution to unblocking an artery.
“Stenting is a good thing," Reitzner said. "It can help fix an acute problem, but it doesn’t fix the underlying disease process. And so, that’s when I think patients need a little bit more of an active role in their long term health. We really seek the patient’s active participation in their care. Some patients are receptive to it. Some patients aren’t."
Dr. Stephen Davis, clinical cardiologist at CMH in Bolivar, described some of the risk factors of heart disease.
“You can’t change who your parents are, but you can change everything else," Dr. Davis said. "Smoking is the biggie. Weight reduction helps; regular, moderate exercise. If you have diabetes, getting it under control; keeping your blood pressure under control; working to lower your cholesterol. All of those things reduce the chances of heart disease."
Davis said there is a short window of time to treat heart attack symptoms. If a patient can be treated within an hour of symptom onset, he said, then there is a good chance of survival.
