Broward County has resumed making appointments for free heart screenings that have already saved thousands of lives.
The Broward Heart Project pilot program ran from 2023 through 2025 and provided free tests for anyone between 45 and 70 with at least one qualifying condition: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, a history of smoking or a family history of heart disease. More than 7,000 people were tested. Over 4,000 had heart conditions requiring immediate treatment and, in some cases, surgery.
The county re-launched its website for the project at www.takehearttest.com.
Chest pains and other symptoms are not required to justify the test, which combines a traditional CT scan with an injection of iodine to more vividly display the kinds of blockages that lead to heart attacks.
Almost everyone who took the test had no symptoms at all, said Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen, who took a similar test four years ago and learned he had a 70% blockage in his left anterior descending artery. It’s the largest artery in the circulatory system, and when it’s blocked, it triggers a heart attack ominously referred to as a “widowmaker,” with a 12% survival rate according to the Cleveland Clinic. Major medication saved Bogen’s life.
The revived free screening program is being run by the Cleveland Clinic and funded in part by the Florida Panthers Foundation.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.