INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana General Assembly’s Political Organization for Women’s Education and Representation (POWER) group, comprised of more than 30 female legislators and lobbyists, will partner with the American Heart Association for the second consecutive year to promote the Go Red For Women movement. POWER legislators came together in January to film a public service announcement that will air on cable systems across the state in an effort to raise awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Hoosier women. Members will also promote Go Red For Women to their constituents by including messaging in newsletters, speaking engagements and other activities in 2013.

“Many women are surprised to learn that heart disease is their number one killer,” said Sen. Jean Breaux, chair of POWER. “It’s important for us as legislators to come together and do what we can to change that. Many cardiac events are preventable. We want to encourage women to learn about the risk factors of heart disease and to start the dialogue with their medical professional that can help them avoid it.”
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease and stroke accounted for 31.7 percent of female deaths in Indiana in 2007. Heart disease alone accounted for nearly 7,000 deaths.
 
“Heart disease and stroke claim the lives of 24 Indiana women every day,” said Nancy Huber, chair of the Go Red For Women movement in Indianapolis. “It’s exciting to have a group of influential Hoosier women, like the legislators in the POWER group, reach out to women across the state with this life-saving message.”
 
Go Red For Women was started by the American Heart Association in 2004 to educate women that heart disease is their No. 1 killer. At the time, only 34 percent of women identified heart disease as their leading killer. Today that number is 54 percent. More information about the movement is available at www.GoRedForWomen.org.