Hamilton ‘Goes Red’ for Women’s Heart Health
There was a lot of red in Hamilton
on Friday, February 3rd.
That’s because Hamilton Township went
red to help promote awareness for Women’s Heart Health.
Hamilton Township Municipal
Government employees wore red to help bring attention to this important health issue. Beginning that evening and throughout the
weekend, the Township Municipal Building, Health Division Building, as well as
two of the Township’s historic homes – The Grafton House and The Sayen House – were
illuminated in the color red.
According to the American Heart
Association -- which started the ‘Go Red’ initiative in 2004 to help dispel the
common misperception that heart disease only affected older men -- heart
disease and stroke account for 1 in 3 deaths among women each year.
That means heart disease accounts
for more deaths among women than all forms of cancer combined.
However, the good news is that
according to the American Heart Association, 80 percent of cardiac or stroke
events may be able to be prevented with the help of education and action.
“As someone who previously worked for
the American Cancer Society, I find it to be a very sobering statistic that
heart disease and stroke account for more deaths among women than all forms of cancer
combined. I think it shows exactly why
our community and our country need to continue to increase awareness about this
important health issue,” says Hamilton Township Mayor Kelly Yaede.
The American Heart Association
reports that testing for risk factors, such as tests for Blood Pressure,
Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI), can help identify risks for
heart disease. By working with the help
of your healthcare provider to treat, manage or control these and other heart
disease risk factors, individuals can help to lower their risks. To learn more, residents can visit: GoRedForWomen.org
“We want to help increase awareness
and to encourage more women to screen for the risk factors associated with
heart disease and stroke,” says Mayor Yaede. “Together we can help save the lives of more
women across our community and our nation.”