Kadima leads fight against nation's No. 1 killer
Moultrie News June 27, 2024
The days of simply tracking one's blood pressure and blood sugar levels to assess their cardio health may soon fading into the ether, with medical centers like Kadima adopting an innovative approach in treating heart disease.
Since opening its doors in late February, Kadima Center for Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention has distanced itself from the insurance model of patient care that only affords doctors 15 minutes to examine each individual.
Instead, Kadima — a Hebrew term, which translates to "come on, let's go!" — takes a deeper dive than a traditional checkup, according to business owner/operator and physician assistant Carey McNamara, by implementing advanced testing and personalized care for each patient in the interest of preventing and reversing disease.
During Kadima's June 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony, Town reps and members of the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of McNamara's 1280 Hospital Drive office, located within a short walking distance of East Cooper Medical Center.
"Our nation's No. 1 killer of both men and women is heart disease," explained McNamara shortly prior to officially being welcomed into Mount Pleasant's business community. "The No. 1 cause of disability is stroke, and it's a completely preventable, beatable and treatable disease."
Kadima's methods, she continued involve going "above and beyond" the standard of care via ordering advanced bloodwork genetics, continuous glucose monitors, providing three separate arterial scans, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, body composition, oral salivary diagnostics and gathering information to discover a patient's hidden risk factors.
Many of the the people who have availed themselves of Kadima's services, said McNamara, are otherwise healthy people who may have had a parent succumb to a heart-related disease at an early age.
"With that information, we're really able to stratify patients' risk and really identify those individuals who are at a higher risk that need more aggressive and early intervention."
While patients will be asked to pay an upfront fee before undergoing a battery of initial tests, McNamara and her staff of 10 will spend up to two hours with each client during scheduled visits to ensure that no stone is unturned.
In addition to the comprehensive one-on-one services clients receive at Kadima, they are also given free access to an online Arterial Health Assurance program, devised by Dr. Brad Bale and Dr. Amy Doneen.
The online education tool consists of 12 modules on topics, such as inflammation, an inside look at genes, nutritional supplements, cholesterol medications and more.
If any of Kadima's patients suffer a heart attack and stroke-related episode during or after treatment, added McNamara, every dollar spent in the cardio care program will be refunded to them.
"I started learning about these tests 15 years ago. When I recognized these tools were available for us to use, I just knew that I had to find a way to incorporate it into my care," said the Charleston native and University of South Carolina grad.
Visit www.kadimacenter.com for more information.
