Fort Kent – Employees at Northern Maine Medical Center are taking this opportunity to promote the month of February as the National Heart Month.
Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, is our nation's No. 1 killer. To urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month."
Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness among women that heart disease is their #1 killer, most fail to make the connection between its risk factors and their personal risk of developing heart disease. In fact, this disease kills one out of every four American women. Employees at NMMC joined The Heart Truth campaign on Friday, February 5, 2010—National Wear Red Day—to help spread the message that "Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear, It's the #1 Killer of Women."
The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women. The Red Dress® reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.
While heart disease risk begins to rise in middle age, heart disease develops over time and can start at a young age, even in the teen years. It's never too early, or too late, to take action to prevent and control the risk factors for heart disease. The Heart Truth is building awareness of women's heart disease and empowering women to reduce and prevent their risk. It is reaching women with important heart health messages in community settings through a diverse network of national and grassroots partner organizations.
The Heart Truth campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in partnership with The Office on Women's Health (OWH) and other groups committed to the health and well-being of women.
Community organizations across the country are joining The Heart Truth campaign and using its Red Dress symbol to raise awareness about women and heart disease. Educational materials are being distributed at local events and presentations emphasizing women's health issues. Locally, Northern Maine Medical Center encourages the public to learn more on heart disease by calling the NMMC Education Department at 834-1936.
To find out more about women and heart disease, visit The Heart Truth Web pages at www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573.
