Heart Health Month on Healthinfo Island

As February contains Valentine’s Day, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has declared February as Heart Month, Virtual Ability has created a number of displays and exhibits on our Healthinfo Island in Second Life related to heart health topics.

These topics include:

• February is Heart Health Awareness Month
• Alcohol and Your Heart 
• Signs of Heart Disease You May Not Recognize
• February 14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day 
• Exercise and Your Heart
• Things You Didn't Know About Cholesterol
• Lower Your Cholesterol Through Diet
• Preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Healthinfo Island lies directly west of the main Virtual Ability island. The two islands are connected by a drawbridge over the intervening waterway. Three large standing poster displays are directly past the bridge. Five pavilions, each containing a poster exhibit, wind along a path up a rocky cliff below which lies a quiet lake.

The mission of Healthinfo Island is to provide timely, accurate and evidence-based health and wellness information to the Virtual Ability community and all residents of Second Life. The information is provided in interactive posters so that it is available at any time. Persons viewing a poster set are encouraged to click each poster to gain additional information and related live links. The poster displays and exhibits are accessible to blind users who can click the entrance poster to receive a note card (which can be read with a screen reader) containing all the text and descriptions of the images on each poster.

Everyone should be interested in maintaining the health of their heart, the hardest working muscle in the entire body. While these displays and exhibits do not take the place of consulting with your personal medical care team, they will give you some good pointers. Come on over and check them out any time.