This February is all about the heart.

Commonly associated with themes of love and romance around Valentine’s Day, the staff at Vaughan Community Health Services want Dallas County residences to also start thinking about the health of their actual heart.

As part of American Heart Month, Vaughan Community Health Services is sponsoring free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings every Tuesday at the Selma and Dallas County Library.

Kim Cogle, executive director of Vaughan Community Health, said the screenings would take place in the Vaughan conference room of the library from 9a.m. until noon each week.

“Since this is American Heart Month, we wanted to help Dallas County not be number one in the country for heart disease and obesity,” Cogle said. “We want Dallas County be become number one for much better reasons.”

Cogle said the Vaughan staff would be screening for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity.

All of these conditions are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to the American Red Cross. Other risk factors include age, sex and heredity and race.

Having a healthy heart should be a special concern for women, according to the American Heart Association. Recent statistics show cardiovascular disease, including stroke, claim the lives of nearly 500,000 women a year.

Compared to white women, black women have higher death rates from cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Along with having regular health check-ups, the American Heart Association advises people to make a few lifestyle changes in order to reduce the risk factors for heart attack or stroke.

This includes increasing physical activity to at least 30 minutes a day and eating a balanced diet.

The free screenings at the library will begin on Feb. 8 at 9a.m.