Broward resumes free heart screenings this month. How to sign up and what to know
Broward isn’t skipping a beat when it comes to residents’ heart health in 2026.
Locals can now schedule appointments for the county’s free cardiac screening initative following a months-long hiatus from the program’s sucessful pilot run.
Restarted in December, the Broward County/Florida Panthers Preventive Heart Program saw a pause in bookings thanks to a name and partnership switch from its predecessor, the Broward Heart Project, which ran from 2023 through September 2025.
The new program’s sophomore edition now features a $1 million investment from the NHL’s Florida Panther Foundation and collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic, which will be providing the tests from its Broward facilities.
Curious about the heart health help? Here’s what we know about Broward’s free cardiac screenings.
What is the test, how to sign up
The cardiac screening — nicknamed the Take Heart Test — is essentially a CT scan of the heart combined with an injection of an iodine-based solution to display what blockages in your cardiac arteries could lead to heart attacks, the program’s website says.
Those who are allergic to iodine can choose an alternative CT calcium score test, though officials warn it will only detect certain blockages, such as hard plaque.
Participants are encouraged to share their post-screening results with their primary care doctors to assess any risk of heart disease or receive personalized prevention strategies and treatment options.
As for who can sign up, criteria to qualify for the free heart screening will be discussed on a case-by-case basis, Broward Mayor Mark Bogen’s team, which runs the program, told the Pembroke Pines News on Feb. 23.
Previously, participants had to be age 45 to 70 and have at least one qualifying condition — high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, a history of smoking or a family history of heart disease — the Sun Sentinel reported on Feb. 22.
Chest pains and other symptoms, the outlet said, aren’t necessary to justify the test either.
Those looking to submit an application for the Broward County/Florida Panthers Preventive Heart Program can sign up by filling out this form.
For more information on the heart screenings, residents should direct their questions to Bogen’s team by calling 954-357-7002 or emailing mbogen@broward.org.
The heart behind the initiative, previous stats
Bogen’s reasoning for starting the cardiac health initiative is as much personal as it is precautionary.
Twenty years ago, the Broward mayor’s mother died of a sudden heart attack despite showing no symptoms or indications of cardiac issues.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of natural death, according to the Cleveland Clinic, causing half of all heart disease deaths and striking 365,000 in the United States yearly.
The loss pushed him to petition his fellow commissioners to commit $10 million to funding the Broward Heart Project in May 2023, making the county one of the first nationwide to offer free heart CT scans as a preventative measure for asymptomatic residents.
Since the program’s start, over 7,000 people have been tested, of which 4,000 were determined to need treatment ranging from medication to open heart surgery, Bogen told the Sun Sentinel in November.
Take Heart Tests revealed non-cardiac medical issues for approximately 350 participants, he added.
“Cardiac screening is currently only approved in insurance for people who are symptomatic,” he told the publication in November. “This can save lives, and we can try to use this information to move the needle at the congressional level. This caught the eyeballs of a lot of people around the country. This is going to be huge.”
