Dr. Gill: It's never too late to improve your heart health

Feb. 21—WILKES-BARRE — Dr. Stephanie A. Gill, program director and physician faculty member at The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education's Regional Family Medicine Residency, this week said that it's never too late to improve your heart health.

"If have high cholesterol, or high blood pressure, or if you smoke, you can work on that," Dr. Gill said. "Even if you have had an episode, you can continue on and work on being heart healthy."

Dr. Gill said she and The Wright Center want to create more public awareness and social media awareness regarding all the various facts about heart health.

At The Wright Center's Wilkes-Barre Practice on Pennsylvania Avenue, Dr. Gill collaboratively provides primary care for adults and children of all ages with an empaneled care team of resident physicians.

And since February is National Heart Month, Dr. Gill wants to let then public know all there is to know about keeping a healthy heart.

Dr. Gill, 45, is a native of the Shickshinny area and she said she tells her patients that to ensure they lead a heart-healthy lifestyle, they have to keep healthy habits.

"It begins at a young age," Dr. Gill said. "You have to be physically active every day and you must stay away from highly processed foods. Yo also have to manage stress and avoid risky, harmful substances like tobacco and excessive alcohol."

Dr. Gill recommends meditation and journaling and she encourages social engagement, which she said brings joy to life and decreases stress.

"These all are pillars to a healthy lifestyle," Dr. Gill said. "And if you start at a young age, they are easier to maintain over a lifetime."

Dr. Gill said it is important to instill a healthy diet and exercise for your overall heart health at an early age. She said make sure a majority of what you eat is based on whole foods and plant based — low salt, low saturated fat. She said patients should talk to their family doctor for guidance.

Dr, Gill said people should also monitor their heart health to ensure they are their best healthy selves — check blood pressure, heartbeat, and report any shortness of breath.

Dr. Gill said The Wright Center for Community Health offers Lifestyle Medicine, and several physicians are certified in Lifestyle Medicine. She said obesity affects millions of Americans and is a serious health concern. The Wright Center offers Obesity Medicine programs.

Dr. Gill said The Wright Center for Community Health's network of practices ensures everyone can access integrated, high-quality, nondiscriminatory, affordable health services regardless of a patient's insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay.

A board-certified family medicine physician, with a deep interest in the integration of oral health into primary care, Dr. Gill trains and educates the next generation of physicians and collaboratively provides primary care for adults and children of all ages as a preceptor alongside a high-quality empaneled care team of resident physicians.

Dr. Gill received her Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's St. Margaret Hospital.

At The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education's Regional Family Medicine Residency, Gill provides administrative and clinical oversight of the educational program, provides patient care, precepts family medicine residents, and teaches and supervises resident physicians and medical students at clinical sites.

Overall, more than 250 resident physicians are enrolled in The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education's five residency and three fellowship programs.

To learn more about The Wright Center's mission and integrated health care services, call 570-230-0019, or visit — TheWrightCenter.org.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.