FEBRUARY IS AMERICAN HEART MONTH

February is American Heart Month, drawing attention to heart disease, America’s No. 1 killer, and the strides being taken through research and education to raise awareness of risk factors and to decrease death rates. Appropriately kicked off on National Wear Red Day (Feb. 5, 2010), the American Heart Association and its Go Red For Women movement urge everyone to support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red that day.

February has been celebrated as American Heart Month since 1963 to urge Americans to join the battle against heart disease. A presidential proclamation pays tribute to the researchers, physicians, other public health education professionals as well as volunteers for their tireless efforts in preventing, treating, and researching heart disease. The observation also recognizes the critical importance of developing tools that will increase survival rates from heart attacks and cardiac arrest. Consider these statistics:

· One in three American adults has one or more types of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). More than half of those directly affected with heart disease are under the age of 60.
· In 2008 alone, an estimated 770,000 people will have a new coronary attack. 780,000 will suffer a new or recurrent stroke.
· CVD claims more lives than the next four most common causes of death combined.
· Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 single killer of women over age 25, but only 21% of women view it as a health threat.
· CVD kills over 460,000 women a year, about one per minute. On average, an American dies of CVD every 35 seconds.
· The estimated cost of CVD in 2008 has risen to $448.8 billion.

Wear Red Day
February 5th is Wear Red Day, a national observance created by the American Heart Association. Thousands of people, employees at more than 10,000 companies, national and local news anchors and talk-show hosts will wear red to support the cause. Men and women across the nation are encouraged to show their support by wearing red on Feb. 5. The red dress and the color red are symbols for women and heart disease and the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement.

City Goes Red
Buildings throughout the country will Go Red in February to help raise awareness of women and heart disease. In Chicago, Willis Tower, the Wrigley Building, the Art Institute, 900 N. Michigan, the Smurfit-Stone Building and Blue Cross Blue Shield are just a few of the many area buildings that will be going red in February.

Go Red Sunday
The American Heart Association is calling on local churches to join in the fight against heart disease by supporting Go Red For Women Sunday. Churches and other faith-based organizations are encouraged to conduct hearth-health awareness related activities as well as invite members to wear red to services to show their support. By supporting the Go Red For Women movement, churches are informing their congregations about the importance of heart health and encouraging individuals to take action and live longer, stronger lives. To learn more about how your church can participate, contact Curvine Summers at 312-476-6654 or curvine.summers@heart.org.

Go Red For Women Luncheon
The Chicago Go Red For Women Luncheon will be held on February 26. Over 600 women will attend the empowering, half-day event which offers educational breakout sessions, free health screenings, exhibits, a heart-healthy lunch, and inspiration from our keynote speaker, Charles “Peanut” Tillman. Nancy Chagares, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising, Jewel-Osco, is the chair of year’s Go Red For Women Luncheon.