Go Red for American Heart Month
By U.S. Sen. Susan Collins
(R-Maine)
The month of February brings to mind thoughts of Valentine’s Day and images of hearts. But the heart is much more than a symbol — it is vital, life-giving organ that is all too often taken for granted. Cardiovascular diseases are our nation’s number one killer. Every year since 1963, Congress and the President have joined together to proclaim February as American Heart Month to urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases.
Nearly 80 million Americans suffer from heart disease, stroke, or some other form of cardiovascular disease. The statistics are alarming, and the toll is especially high among American women. While the number of young men who die from heart disease is declining, the death rate among young women has actually increased. Heart disease is still the number one killer of women age 20 and over. Yet only one out of every five women is aware that heart disease is her greatest health threat. Eighty percent of cardiac events in women might be prevented if they made the right choices for their hearts, including diet, exercise and not smoking.
The first step is education. Since 2003, the American Heart Association and other organizations have banded together to raise awareness among women of the threat from heart disease. The “Go Red” campaign has been a highly effective part of this effort.
Research shows that women who Go Red make healthier choices. More than one-third have lost weight and nearly 55 percent have increased their exercise. That is remarkable evidence of the effectiveness of the Go Red’s educational campaign.
But we must do more. That is why I am joining my Senate colleagues in reintroducing the HEART (Heart Disease Education, Analysis, Research, and Treatment) for Women Act. This bipartisan legislation, a top priority of the American Heart Association, takes a multi-pronged approach to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease and stroke.
This legislation would raise awareness of this threat through grants to better educate women and their health care providers about the prevalence and unique aspects of care for women in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. It also would provide funding for the Medicare program to conduct an educational awareness campaign for older women about their risk for heart disease and stroke.
It also would strengthen analysis, research, and treatment efforts for women. Experts believe that a primary reason women are at such great risk is that the preponderance of studies have been targeted at men. As a result, women with heart disease are less likely to be diagnosed until their disease is at an advanced stage and less likely to receive aggressive treatment. In many cases, it is not even known whether new drugs approved by the FDA to treat cardiovascular diseases are safe and effective in women.
The HEART for Women Act would address this shortcoming by requiring that health care data that are already being reported to the federal government be broken down by gender, as well as by race and ethnicity. This information would include clinical trial results, and data on pharmaceutical and medical device approval, medical errors, hospital quality, and quality improvement. This body of knowledge will greatly increase the ability of our health care providers to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease among their female patients.
This legislation would also improve upon a program that already is producing outstanding results. WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation), which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control, provides heart disease and stroke prevention screening to low-income, uninsured and underinsured women in 14 states. Women who participate in WISEWOMAN are more likely to return to their health care provider for regular health screenings, and best of all, 10 percent who came into this program as smokes have quit! The HEART for Women Act would expand this proven program to all 50 states, including Maine.
Go Red for Women celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together to lessen heart disease and stroke. The red dresses and clothing we see on Go Red Day symbolize our support for women who are touched by these diseases, and, just as important, they stand for our commitment to continuing the progress we have made against cardiovascular disease for all. The HEART for Women Act will join in this effort by providing much-needed knowledge and resources as we continue the fight against this silent yet devastating killer.
