Diners Have Heart-Healthy Menu Options During American Heart Month, Thanks to Shawnee Mission Health's Partnership with Local Restaurants

Kansas City metro residents can once again kick off American Heart Month by dining out and eating heart-healthy. Thanks to Shawnee Mission Health's (SMH) partnership with several area restaurants, diners will be able to order dishes that are deliciously good for the heart.

Throughout the month of February, Grand Street Cafe Lenexa, Blue Moose Bar & Grill, Barley's Brewhaus, Story, Tavern at Mission Farms, Tavern in the Village and YaYa's Euro Bistro will offer dishes that are low in fat and sodium and other ingredients that may increase risk of heart disease. For each heart-healthy dish enjoyed by consumers, these restaurants will donate 10 percent to the Shawnee Mission Heart and Vascular Center to support various programs throughout the community, including CPR education in schools, women's heart health and more.

"We are so excited about this year's Heart Month partnership with these wonderful local restaurants who are helping us raise awareness around heart disease," said Vickie Franck, Executive Director, Shawnee Mission Heart and Vascular Services. "This program is a unique way for us to educate people about heart disease and heart health, and we encourage the community to visit our partner restaurants and enjoy these tasty dishes."

The heart-healthy dishes being featured by SMH's restaurant partners throughout February include:

• Roasted Beet Panzanella Salad with spiced cider braised apples, candied walnuts, goat cheese, toasted walnut raisin bread, arugula with an apple cider vinaigrette (Grand Street Caf Kansas City metro locations)
• Superfood Kale Salad with Grilled Salmon with tender kale, carrots and cherry tomatoes tossed in homemade sesame soy ginger vinaigrette, topped with soy ginger quinoa, blueberries, dried nori and grilled salmon (Blue Moose Bar & Grill and Barley's Brewhaus Kansas City metro locations)
• Arctic Char with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, broccoli, jasmine rice and a mushroom cream sauce (Story, Prairie Village)
• Fresh grilled salmon topped with pineapple salsa over a bed of sauteed kale and quinoa with grilled asparagus and red bell peppers (Tavern at Mission Farms and Tavern in the Village)
• Five Grain Idaho Trout Salad with quinoa, amaranth, kaniwa, millet, farro, curry vinaigrette, lacinato kale, baby spinach, orange supreme, blood orange gastrique, roasted butternut squash and grilled Idaho trout fillet (YaYa's Euro Bistro, Overland Park)

Tavern Restaurants owner Kelly Manning said he is looking forward to raising awareness of heart disease by showcasing a heart-healthy dish throughout the month.

"We are excited to partner with Shawnee Mission Health again this year and raise awareness of American Heart Month," said Manning. "We enjoy creating a special heart-healthy dish for our diners to enjoy and helping them realize that eating heart-healthy can be delicious."

Home to Kansas City's first Accredited Chest Pain Center, SMH offers sophisticated medical technology for cardiac and vascular care.

"One of the best ways to fight heart disease is by following a healthy diet," said SMH Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services Jhulan Mukharji, MD. "Try to incorporate a wide variety of nutritious foods into your meals, or order a healthy option the next time you dine out. Exercise is also one of the most powerful medicines we have, and in combination with a healthy diet, makes for a powerful treatment. Even small steps can make a big difference in your overall heart health."

For more information about SMH's Heart Month restaurant partnership, visit ShawneeMission.org/HeartMonth, and follow along on social media using the hashtag #SMHHeartMonth.

About Shawnee Mission Health

Shawnee Mission Health (SMH) is a network of health care facilities and services located throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area and surrounding communities. The network includes Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) in Merriam, Kan., a 504-bed facility with more than 20,000 inpatient admissions and more than 200,000 outpatient admissions annually; SMH Prairie Star, a comprehensive health care facility located in western Lenexa, Kan.; as well as physician practices located throughout Johnson and Leavenworth Counties. SMH serves more than 70,000 patients in its emergency departments annually, has the area's first accredited Chest Pain Emergency Center and delivers more babies each year at SMMC than any other hospital in the metropolitan area. SMH also has some of the highest customer service or HCAHPS scores in the Kansas City metro. The network employs more than 3,000 local residents and supports an exceptional staff of 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties, the largest medical staff of any full-service hospital in Kansas City. Visit us online at ShawneeMission.org.