Cute Babies at Advocate Children Wear Little Red Hats for National Heart Month

In recognition of American Heart Month and in anticipation for National Wear Red Day, Advocate Children’s Hospital distributed red crocheted hats to all babies born in February to help raise awareness about heart disease and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect in the country.

“February is congenital heart month,” says Dr. Andrew Van Bergen, pediatric cardiologist at Advocate Children’s Heart Institute in Oak Lawn, Ill. “The little red hats on our babies are a wonderful way to recognize that 1 in 100 babies in the United States is born each year with a heart defect.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that Advocate Children’s Hospital and the American Heart Association (AHA) have worked together to help make a difference for babies with heart defects, which affects more than 40,000 newborns each year, according to the AHA.

“We are grateful to Advocate Health Care for participating in the Little Hats, Big Hearts program again this year,” said Brian Shields, executive director of the American Heart Association’s Metro Chicago office. “Heart disease touches so many lives, and this program honors mothers, babies and heart-healthy living in a very special way. Together we’re raising awareness and hopefully inspiring families to make their health a priority.”

The AHA is distributing 6,000 hats in Chicagoland for the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaign, 2,000 of which will go to newborns across the Advocate Health Care system. Follow the baby photos on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/AdvocateChildrensHospital or @AdvocateKids and using the hashtags #LittleHatsBigHearts and #ChicagoGoesRed.

“As someone who participates in the work of caring for babies with congenital heart defects on a daily basis, I believe that the work of the AHA in events like the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” brings attention to this extremely important issue. Approximately 8-10 babies of every 1,000 are born with a structural problem with their heart. But, through surgical interventions and advances in pediatric cardiac care for those with congenital heart disease, the vast majority of these babies are now living full, healthy lives” said Dr. Joseph Forbess, Chief of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery for Advocate Children’s Hospital and Co-Director of the Advocate Children’s Heart Institute.

As a national leader in heart care, Advocate Heart Institute provides more experience which leads to better outcomes. Advocate Children’s Heart Institute specializes in pediatric cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, which offers a complete continuum of care from fetus to adulthood. For more information, please visit advocatechildrensheartinstitute.com.