HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Feb. 1, 2019)  – This month CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs is providing small red knit caps to new babies and their families. The caps are thanks to the American Heart Association’s Little Hats Big Hearts program. Along with a knit cap for the new baby, parents will receive information about the importance of starting healthy habits at a young age. The initiative is in connection with the Children’s Heart Foundation and locally sponsored by Delta Dental of Arkansas.

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect of babies born in the United States, impacting eight in every 1,000 babies. Volunteer knitters across the state provided the crochet and knit caps.

“At CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs we are committed to the health of the communities we serve,” said Dr. Doug Ross, Chief Medical Officer for CHI St. Vincent and President of CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. “This includes an intense focus on treating and preventing heart disease in all of Southwest Arkansas. We are proud to support the Little Hats Big Hearts program as it raises awareness and provides education on how to prevent heart disease at a young age. By doing this, we can help promote and establish a lifetime of heart health.”

“Heart disease is 80 percent preventable and the best way to do that is by teaching children heart-healthy habits as early as possible. We are truly grateful for our volunteer knitters, our hospitals who are distributing the hats and for Delta Dental of Arkansas for supporting this wonderful cause,” said Joyce Taylor, executive director of the Central Arkansas American Heart Association.

In addition to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, facilities in Little Rock, Batesville, Benton, Camden, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Mena, Newport, Paragould, Russellville, Searcy, El Dorado, Pine Bluff, Monticello, Stuttgart, Mountain Home and Conway are also participating in the program.

Little Hats, Big Hearts™ started in Chicago in 2014. From just 300 little hats in the first year, the program has now embraced hundreds of thousands of babies across more than 40 states.