By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

The Dallas County Health Department will observe heart health month with a diabetes and heart disease program.

“Our county has a high rate of diabetes and high blood pressure — very unhealthy county,” said Dorothy Chatmon, the department’s diabetes instructor and a retired registered nurse. “And we need to get the information to them so we are offering it through this diabetes support group.”

The health department is hosting its monthly Diabetes Support Group meeting on Monday, Feb 22. This month’s topic is diabetes and heart disease.

The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the health department building located on 100 Samuel L. Moseley Drive.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the number one killer in Alabama, taking the lives of 12,083 Alabamians in 2010. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) reports heart disease has been a leading killer since 1926.

Information offered during the program will include how to keep a healthy weight, heart healthy diets, how to measure blood pressure, the effects of high blood pressure, how to maintain a healthy cholesterol level and more. The support group meetings are geared toward diabetes and its relation to chronic diseases. Healthy weight loss was discussed in January. Next month the meeting will focus on kidney disease.

Chatmon said individuals with diabetes or at risk are encouraged to join, but anyone is welcome to attend the class.

“We get lots of feedback on the information that we give,” Chatmon said.

“The ones who come frequently will tell us they did gain some information and it was very helpful.”

For more information about the program, call the Dallas County Extension office at (334) 875-3200.