On Saturday, the Texas Heart Institute joined other institutions from across the Texas Medical Center and around Houston at the UTHealth “Stomp Out Stroke” Festival at Discovery Green. The festival aimed to educate the community about the risk factors and warning signs of stroke, and to provide important information and resources about maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the brain and the heart. The annual event attracted families from across the Houston area.

The THI team educated children visiting the booth through their “Project Heart” curriculum. More than 40 children completed the learning activities and were awarded THI “Cool-E” badges.

Families who came by the booth were educated about the importance of knowing the  numbers that affect heart attack and stroke risk such as blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol, and they received important information they could take back to their own doctors.

In addition, the Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health promoted “Straight Talk,” a free, quarterly publication on women’s health by cardiologist Dr. Stephanie Coulter.

The festival included a variety of performances, from musical groups to puppet shows, for all participants to enjoy. Cultural dancers and musical performers filled the park with life as children skipped between booths offering face painting, learning activities, and snow-cones. Other booths featured through the festival were from Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, H-E-B Pharmacy, the The Health Museum and more. Families were also able to take photos with beloved mascots such as Diesel from the Houston Dynamo and Swatson from the Sugarland Skeeters.

A special thank you to our Visual Communications Student Intern, Carlos Uribe for his help with this article.