SPRINGFIELD’S ambition to become the “healthiest heart of the nation” by 2030 is being backed by a new roadmap aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease and closing potentially critical gaps in care after cardiac patients leave hospital.
The push comes ahead of World Heart Day on September 29, an annual global campaign raising awareness of cardiovascular disease and encouraging people to take action to protect their heart health.
For Queensland woman Emma Wilson, that message could hardly be more personal.
At age 45, fit and training for a bodybuilding world championship, she suffered a heart attack in 2015.
“I was in full training and planning to go in March, but then I had my heart attack in December,” she said.
Despite being exceptionally fit and preparing for what would have been her third bodybuilding competition, Ms Wilson had experienced warning signs for weeks.
Her experience is a powerful reminder that cardiovascular disease does not always fit the stereotype of who is considered at risk, with an estimated 80 per cent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke preventable through lifestyle changes and early intervention.
Heart Foundation Queensland General Manager Sheree Hughes said understanding individual risk factors was one of the most important steps people could take to protect their heart health.
“Everyone has modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors,” Ms Hughes said.
“Modifiable risk factors include maintaining a healthy weight, undertaking regular physical activity, knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol, eating well and not smoking or vaping.
“Non-modifiable factors include things such as genetics and family history, which is why we encourage people to talk to their families and understand the health issues their parents and grandparents may have experienced.”
Leaving hospital after a heart attack or other cardiac event may mark the end of the immediate medical emergency, but new Australian research suggests it can be just the beginning of a much longer physical and emotional battle.
The research, commissioned by Amgen Australia and conducted by YouGov, found 79 per cent of those surveyed experienced emotional or mental health challenges following their cardiac event.
The impact also extended beyond patients themselves, with 37 per cent reporting their cardiac event had a moderate or significant effect on their family’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
“The mental and emotional side was a bigger journey than the physical for me,” Ms Wilson said.
For Ms Wilson, returning to the sport she loved became an important milestone.
“I felt like I had unfinished business,” she said.
The journey from hospital back into community healthcare was another major area of concern, as 52 per cent said their GP was fully informed and prepared to take over their care, and 41 per cent experiencing an issue with information being shared between healthcare settings.
The divide was greater outside major capital cities, where 31 per cent of regional patients experienced barriers accessing specialist cardiac care compared with 22 per cent of metropolitan patients.
Amgen Australia, the Heart Foundation and Springfield Healthy Hearts are now seeking to address these gaps through a practical Queensland roadmap designed to improve the transition from hospital care to recovery at home and reduce the likelihood of patients returning to hospital.
The work follows the Queensland Cardiovascular Expert Roundtable convened by the three organisations in December 2025, which brought together 14 experts from across the cardiovascular health system and people with lived experience.
The roadmap identifies three priority areas for improvement: providing clearer and more consistent information when patients leave hospital, creating stronger links between hospitals and GPs to ensure continuity of care, and placing greater emphasis on prevention to keep people healthier and out of hospital.
“We need to strengthen that transition from hospital or clinical care into coordinated care back in the community,” Ms Hughes said.
More than a decade after her heart attack, Ms Wilson has not suffered another cardiac event and continues to see her cardiologist, while using her experience to encourage others not to mistake physical fitness for immunity from cardiovascular disease.
“People hear my story and say, ‘How did you have a heart attack?’” she said.
“My main message is that it’s not what is on the outside, it’s how we are on the inside.
“Do regular checks. Ask your GP about a heart health check. Stay on top of your blood tests and get your cholesterol checked.
“If sharing my story makes somebody else take those warning signs seriously or get themselves checked, that is important.”
