Memorial Health System Revenue Cycle Supervisor Stephanie Snider assists Jasmine Riggs with questions about the EKG screening at the Memorial Health System Belpre campus Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

BELPRE — Memorial Health System provided free EKG (electrocardiogram) screenings at the Belpre Medical Campus Tuesday evening.

To celebrate Heart Month, providers offered screenings, blood sugar tests, and more information about vascular health and endocrinology for those who were interested.

Patients could register or walk in and sign up for a screening. There were around 70 individuals who registered for the screening.

Memorial Health System Director of Cardiovascular Services Ashley Nutter said an EKG is a noninvasive test that records your heart’s electrical activity.

The EKG screening results can be used to diagnose various problems based on heart rhythm issues.

Bonnie Ceese with Memorial Health System, left, and Director of Cardiovascular Services Ashley Nutter, right, are ready to check in patients and community members for a free EKG screening at the Memorial Health System Belpre campus Tuesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“Depending on your age, it’s always good to have a baseline EKG or a heart tracing or if you’re symptomatic,” said Nutter. “If you’re short of breath, have chest pain or have a fluttering feeling in your chest they’re going to start with an EKG to see what the rhythm is doing.”

Nutter said providers can pinpoint which area of the heart might be causing issues.

EKGs can be used by providers for diagnosing heart conditions, the effect of medications, determining health for upcoming surgery, and checking heart rhythm after a heart attack.

Providers offer EKGs for those who exhibit symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, blue hands or feet and a flutter or skip in heartbeat.

During an EKG screening, a healthcare provider will attach electrodes to chest, arms, and legs. The electrode sensors send information through the wires. The screening procedure takes no longer than a few seconds.

A model heart on display at the free EKG screening hosted by Memorial Health System at the Belpre campus Tuesday evening. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

“It’s essentially transmitting the electrical pulses that are causing the heartbeat to a tracing so we can tell if it’s a normal rhythm … or abnormal which may need further investigation,” said Nutter.

She said a “normal” rhythm can be different for everyone but typically ranges from 60-100 beats per minute. Typically, athletes have a lower resting heart rate.

“If there’s an abnormality, we have staff here that can make appointments for the patients or the community members to see a cardiologist,” she said. “We want to make sure you’re connected from a heart health perspective.”

Nutter said Memorial has free EKG screenings every February to celebrate Heart Month. She said there are some days throughout the year where they offer reduced payment screenings or other tests.

Nutter said the EKG screening was the third one of the month as there were also events in Athens and St. Marys.

“We give it free to the community because prevention is key and we want to drive good heart health for everybody,” said Nutter. “We also have lifestyle medicine here and our wellness center and our endocrinology team is doing free blood glucose checks because usually diabetics have heart disease and those go hand-in-hand.”

Patients or community members had access to a wide selection of information and access to care teams available for questions.

Nutter said those looking to make an appointment for an EKG screening can call the office. She said if their insurance requires a referral first, she recommended having their primary care doctor make the referral to book an appointment.

Memorial is located in Marietta, Belpre, Athens, St. Marys, Williamstown, and will be expanding to Sistersville.

For more information about Memorial’s community events and screenings visit https://www.mhsystem.org/events/category/events/