Feb 4, 2018 4 min read

As the leading cause of death in the United States, cardiovascular disease kills one woman every 80 seconds, and one in three American women is expected to die eventually of heart disease or stroke.

In the ongoing battle to make a dent in those sobering statistics, the hospitals of Allegheny Health Network (AHN) this month will mark the 15th year of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go Red For Women movement, in conjunction with Heart Month, by hosting a series of events to raise awareness for cardiovascular disease.

The AHA created Go Red For Women to help dispel the myth that heart disease is an older man’s disease and raise awareness of heart disease and stroke in women. In addition to being the number one cause of death in American women, cardiovascular disease kills almost twice as many women every year than all forms of cancer combined.

In support of the AHA’s nationwide call, AHN is encouraged all of its employees to dress in red Friday in celebration of National Wear Red Day.

“Unfortunately, many women do not recognize their risk of heart disease as well as they should,” said Indu Poornima, MD, cardiologist and director, AHN Women’s Heart Center. “It is crucial that we continue to work with women to make them aware of their risk factors and help them know the signs of heart disease and heart attacks, and that they understand those signs can be different between women and men.

“For example, while chest pain is a tell-tale symptom of a heart attack for both sexes, women are more likely to suffer other pains – such as in the jaw, shoulder, or arm – that they may not consider to be signs of a possible heart attack. Recognizing and responding to those signs can be a life-saver.”

With a focus on helping women gain a greater awareness of cardiovascular disease and teaching them the proper preventive measures, the AHN Women’s Heart Center provides female patients access to an array of gender-specific preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic heart-related services. At 7 p.m. on Feb. 26, Dr. Poornima and her colleague at the Women’s Heart Center, Valentyna Ivanova, MD, will discuss women’s heart health on KDKA-AM’s “Medical Frontiers” call-in show.

Also this month, the STAR Center at AHN (located in the West Penn Hospital School of Nursing); Forbes Hospital Prehospital Services; and Canonsburg Hospital Prehospital Services will offer free “Friends and Family CPR and AED” training classes at those locations on Feb. 10. This community-designed program is intended for those who do not require certification.

“While we continue to make progress in the battle against cardiovascular disease, nearly 90 million people in the U.S. still experience some form of the disease,” said Srinivas Murali, MD, director of AHN’s Cardiovascular Institute. “The various events planned across AHN this month play a role in raising awareness about the steps that must be taken to reduce risks and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes.”

Additional Go Red For Women and Heart Month events at Canonsburg Hospital in February include:

• Feb. 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kids’ Play Area in front of Macy’s, South Hills Village Mall. Cardiac risk assessment and materials about cardiac rehab at Canonsburg will be offered.
• Feb. 1
• 3, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., conference room adjacent to the hospital cafeteria. “Race to No Place” stationary bike team competition. Support your favorite team by placing money in donation bags. Proceeds will benefit the Canonsbu
• rg 2018 AHA Heart Walk team.
• Feb. 23, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., adjacent to hospital cafeteria. Cupcake Wars competition and bake sale, proceeds benefiting Canonsburg’s AHA Heart Walk. Cupcakes will be judged on presentation, texture and taste.
• Feb. 27, 4 to 7 p.m., in Therapy Services department, Cardiac Rehab Open House event.