Heart disease is the number one killer in Pueblo, for both men and women.

Now the Pueblo City-County Health department is trying to raise awareness about the importance of heart health, by providing free screenings.

Every 20 seconds a person in the United States has a heart attack.

Do you know your risk factors?

If not, a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, can help you learn them.

"We're one of the sites that was chosen to be out in the community to offer the grant, so its really a great thing for the public," says Marti Borden, Pueblo City-County Health Department.

It's the second year of a three-year grant that offers free heart disease screenings for uninsured adults over the age of 18 who live in Pueblo County.

Organizers say make sure you don't eat for at least two hours before your screening. The screening only takes about 15 minutes.

In that time, your height and weight will be measured, blood pressure taken, and a quick finger prick will reveal your cholesterol numbers.

"And then we're able to feed that information into a computer, and using the risk study, able to come up with a percentage of that person having or not having a cardiac event within the next ten years."

The tests only help pin-point possible risk factors. It is not for diagnosis.

But once you have this knowledge, you can reduce your risk.

To get your free screening, call the health department at 583-9903.