Des Moines, October 9, 2012 – Ask any random woman on the street what her greatest health risk is and you’ll likely hear a variety of answers: “Breast cancer.” “Obesity?” “I hear skin cancer is on the rise…”

Only 1 in every 6 women will know the truth: heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women.

The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women^® movement aims to educate all women on her risks of heart disease and even more importantly, how to prevent it.

“Our goal with Go Red For Women is to educate and empower women to take charge of their own health,” says Michelle Gowdy, Community Engagement Vice President at DuPont Pioneer and 2012 Go Red For Women Chair. “They don’t know that more women die from heart disease than all forms of cancer combined and they don’t know that 80% of these heart attacks in women could have been prevented.”

The Go Red For Women Luncheon on October 5, sponsored by DuPont Pioneer and Mercy Hospitals, celebrated the ways women can take charge of their health and live longer lives, free from heart disease and stroke.

• Be a BetterU.
  Fifteen Central Iowa women made over their hearts this summer. Anyone can enroll in the association’s free BetterU tool, an online program designed to help women improve their heart health in 10 weeks. www.GoRedForWomen.org/BetterU
   
• Build a Healthier Iowa.
  Dozens of women signed a petition to encourage the state’s health department to make newborn heart defect screening (called pulse oximetry) mandatory in all hospitals. This non-invasive and cost-effective screening catches babies with heart defects who aren’t born blue or with other obvious symptoms. Without this simple test, many babies are sent home with the belief that they are healthy, only to have tragedy strike days later.
   
• Fund research in Iowa.
  At the luncheon, the silent auction will feature purses stuffed with goodies by local women, celebrities and leaders. Money raised at the luncheon benefits education and research in Iowa, including nearly $11 million at the University of Iowa in the past five years. In 2012, the Go Red For Women Luncheon raised more than $100,000.

“We know every woman in central Iowa couldn’t attend this event,” says Kathy Goetz of Iowa Heart Center and 2012 Go Red For Women chair. “But Go Red For Women is a year-round movement and we can’t afford to ignore the truth anymore. We hope to inspire the women who do come and learn to share information with their friends and family and help us save lives.”

Contact: Alexson Calahan
Communications Director
515-246-4581
alexson.calahan@heart.org

Go Red and Go Red For Women are trademarks of AHA.
The Red Dress Design is a trademark of U.S. DHHS.

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