Wear Red Day Feb. 3

Local women will have the chance next week to take part on the celebration of National Wear Red Day, in support of women's heart health, and to learn more about how they can prevent heart disease for themselves. Great River Medical Center in Blytheville will host the Women's Heart Healthy Lunch and Learn on National Wear Red Day, Friday, Feb. 3 at noon.

National Wear Red Day is set aside for Americans nationwide to wear red to show their support for women's heart disease awareness. Susan Saunders, Women's Health Advance Practice Nurse/ Nurse Mid-Wife will discuss what women need to know about protecting themselves from heart disease.

According to Ralph Beaty, CEO of Great River Medical Center, the Women's Heart Healthy Lunch and Learn is "a great opportunity to reach out to women in our community and alert them to their personal risk factors for heart disease. By joining together we can raise awareness locally about heart disease and help lead women on the path to prevention."

Great River Medical Center activities are in partnership with The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign warning women about their risk of heart disease. The 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 organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.

Awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women has nearly doubled in the last 12 years. However, most women fail to make the connection between heart disease risk factors and their personal risk of developing the disease.

The Heart Truth is a national campaign for women about heart disease and is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Through the campaign, the NHLBI leads the nation in a landmark heart health awareness-to-action movement that is being embraced by millions who share the common goal of better heart health for all 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.

For more information about the local event, contact Great River Medical Center at (870)838-7300.