Mohawk Healthy Heart Project hosts local Red Dress event

On Friday Feb. 1st, the Mohawk Healthy Heart Project, in support of the National Go Red for Women campaign, hosted their community version of this important national campaign. Tribal employees, clinic staff, and patients wore red clothing to show their support. The participation was considered a success and the education booth set up at Health Services met with many people throughout the day, offering education, recipe cards, Red Dress pins, and raffles.

Every year the American Heart Association leads a large raise awareness day highlighting the risk of cardiovascular disease in women. As with men, cardiovascular disease or CVD in women is the number one killer in the U.S. today.

February has been designated as American Heart Month. The American Heart Association started this campaign to raise awareness of this devastating disease. According to the association, since 1989 the death rate for heart disease in men has declined steadily, while the death rate for women has declined more slowly, thus resulting in a disparity in heart disease mortality compared to men. More prominently is the statistic that nationally 90% of primary care providers do not know that heart disease kills more women each year than men. Please keep in mind that this is a national statistic only. Also, according to the AHA, is the statistic that women are more likely to die within a year of having an initial heart attack.

Lastly, this fact according to the AHA, women are less likely than men to receive certain diagnostic testing and treatments, such as angioplasties and stents for CVD. There is currently a bill before Congress that would provide funding for further heart disease education, analysis, research and treatment for women. It is called the HEART for Women Act. Until then the Go Red for Women Campaign recruits more people every year to show their support for the cause, both women and men.