PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Babies born this month at Huntington Memorial Hospital are wearing red caps – instead of the traditional pink or blue – in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement.
Heart disease is the number one killer of women, taking the life of one woman every minute. That means many of the women in these babies’ lives – their moms, sisters, grandmas or aunts – could be affected by heart disease.
“For years our staff has been participating in National Wear Red Day every February as a way to raise awareness of heart disease among women,” said Vyshali Rao, MD, FACC, director of women’s heart health at Huntington Hospital. “Now, with the babies in the red beanies, we are reaching out to new moms to educate them on how to stop heart disease before it starts. Our hope is that each of these new families has many happy and healthy years together.”
In partnership with the American Heart Association, every baby born at Huntington Hospital during Heart Month will be fitted with the red beanies created and donated by the Southern California clothing company, fodada, a cause-based brand that believes in fashion that looks good while doing good things. In addition, parents will receive American Heart Association resources on raising a heart-healthy family.
Since 2004, women have been fighting heart disease individually and together as part of the Go Red For Women movement. More than 627,000 women’s lives have been saved, but nearly 1,100 women are still dying each day in the United States.
“The signs of a heart attack in women can differ from those commonly found in men and can be easily mistaken for other ailments,” said Dr. Rao. Heart attack signs in women include:
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1 and get to a hospital right away.
The Huntington Hospital Heart and Vascular Center is a recognized leader in cardiac care. The hospital has received the Distinguished Hospital Award for clinical excellence and has been recognized as a Center of Distinction by Blue Cross of California.
The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women offers educational programs to advance women’s understanding of their risk for heart disease and provides tools to help women live healthier, stronger lives. For more information, visit www.GoRedForWomen.org.
Huntington Memorial Hospital, www.HuntingtonHospital.com, is a 625-bed not-for-profit hospital located in Pasadena, California. Huntington Hospital has been ranked nationally by U.S. News and World Report in two specialties and was named among the top hospitals in California. The hospital is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HuntingtonMemorialHospital and on Twitter at @HuntingtonNews.
