User: sburris
Time: 01-28-2014 13:49 Product: INIBrd
2014
PubDate: 01-29-2014 Zone: Special
Edition: 7
Page: ToAdvFolio-Cov
Color: C K Y M
red
Indy goes
A custom advertising publication to The Indianapolis Star ● Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014
10 years of changing hearts
Go Red for Women: A decade of achievement
local founding sponsor
Happy birthday
A heartfelt celebration I By Angela Parker For Custom Publications
f you were asked to name a wellknown man with heart disease, who comes to mind? Bill Clinton? Larry King? Dick Cheney? Now think of a woman in the same circumstance. Names are harder to come up with, primarily because heart disease isn’t well known as a woman’s health problem. For 10 years, the American Heart Association has been working to change that perception with its Go Red For Women campaign. Locally, St.Vincent Health has been part of the effort every step of the way. “When people think about St.Vincent, they think excellence in heart care,” said Darcy Burthay, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital and chair of the 2014 Go Red For Women initiative. “It just made sense to take the lead in Burthay the Go Red movement. We felt it was our responsibility because heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. We want the community to know that we are committed.” With support from local businesses, banks and health care systems, Indianapolis’ annual Go Red For Women Luncheon has become one of the largest in the country, attracting more than 1,000 guests. “Go Red For Women is about all of us pulling together to make our community aware of the impact heart disease has on women,” Burthay said. “It’s encouraging when competitive businesses can collaborate on behalf of the community’s health.”
“The work St.Vincent has done on our behalf has been nothing short of amazing. St.Vincent has supported Go Red For Women since it launched in 2004. Four different St.Vincent executives have chaired our Indianapolis Go Red For Women Luncheon. And based on the leadership they’ve provided, it’s no coincidence that Indianapolis stands as one of our top five luncheons in attendance and top 10 in revenue. Those rankings are all the more impressive if you consider that Indianapolis is a midsize market.” — Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association
You’ve come a long way, baby
The phrase “You’ve come a long way, baby” was popularized in the 1960s, thanks to a cigarette commercial aimed at young women. Go Red For Women — the antithesis of cigarette ads — could easily use that phrase to describe increased awareness of women’s heart health over the last decade. For one thing, the stereotype of the tubby, middle-aged male heart attack victim has gotten a makeover. In fact, heart disease can creep up on anyone of any gender or age. In young women, for example, smoking and using oral contraceptives is a dangerous combination. “It’s a paradigm shift to realize that heart disease also affects women,” said Richard Fogel, MD, a cardiologist and CEO of St.Vincent Medical Group. “It might even be more dangerous because they don’t realize what’s happening.” In the past, it was Fogel accepted that a heart attack was a heart attack whether it happened to a man or a woman. Today, doctors know that a woman’s heart attack may look very different from a man’s. “Sometimes other diagnoses were considered because the symptoms weren’t classic for heart disease,” Fogel said. “A woman who has never been sick, coming in with indigestion or fatigue, may in fact have heart disease. Now we know to rule
out or diagnose heart disease and apply the therapies just as we would in men with a similar condition.”
What’s the difference?
Go Red For Women targets heart disease awareness, prevention and women’s symptoms. Prevention is similar for both sexes: eat right, exercise, lose weight and don’t smoke. But the symptoms can vary. Classic heart attack symptoms are the same: chest tightness or pressure and pain in the chest, neck, jaw, arms or back. Yet women are more likely to experience symptoms that could be mistaken or ignored. In fact, many report having symptoms up to a month before a heart attack. Other signs may include: ♥ Unusual fatigue. ♥ Sleep disturbances. ♥ Shortness of breath. ♥ Nausea or indigestion. ♥ Lightheadedness. ♥ Anxiety. If you have any of these signs, don’t wait. Call 911 and get to a hospital quickly. “Heart disease is a modifiable disease, not a predestination,” Fogel said. “It starts when you’re young and presents with symptoms when you’re older. You have to stop it before the symptoms happen. “But to fix a problem, you have to be aware of it. Go Red For Women has been critically important in that awareness.” ●
Lives have been saved. • About 650,000 women have been saved from cardiovascular diseases. • Deaths from cardiovascular disease have decreased by 32%. The grassroots movement has grown substantially. • The number of women completing the Go Red Heart CheckUp has grown from 127,227 to 1,974,987. • The number of annual Go Red local luncheons and events has grown from 65 to 185. Gender-specific guidelines have been developed to help prevent and treat heart disease. • More physicians are recognizing that women’s symptoms may differ. Through better screenings and treatments, lives are being saved. Lifestyle risk factors have improved. • The number of people who smoke has decreased 15.9%. • Cholesterol has decreased 18.1% for >240 and 6.8% for >200. • The number of people who achieve the recommended amount of physical activity has increased 23.9%. Heart health has improved in registered Go Red For Women participants. • Nearly 90 % have made at least one healthy change. • 37% have lost weight. • 54% are getting more exercise. • Six-in-10 are eating healthier foods. • 43% have checked their cholesterol levels. • One-third have talked with a doctor to develop heart-healthy plans. Diversity challenges have been targeted. • 48.9 % of adult African-American women have cardiovascular disease. • Hispanic women likely will develop heart disease 10 years earlier than Caucasian women. • Awareness that heart disease is the top cause of death has nearly doubled among Hispanic women and tripled among black women. • Targeted educational efforts have been launched to improve health and increase awareness. Gender-specific research challenges have been identified. • Just 24 % of participants in all heartrelated studies are female. • Until now, three-fourths of cardiovascular clinical trials did not report results by gender. • Research is showing differences in women’s symptoms and responses to medications. Source: American Heart Association
BestHeartCare.com
Indiana’s ONLY 50 TOP Hospital for Heart Care. St.Vincent Heart Center of Indiana has been named one of the 50 TOP Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation—and the only one in Indiana. The dedication to excellence behind that honor helps explain our commitment for the past 10 years as the local presenting sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement. By leading the way in both cardiovascular care and women’s heart health awareness, we’re devoted to helping women continue to share their hearts with the ones they love for years to come. Keeping your heart healthy is easier than you think. Find out more at BestHeartCare.com.
“Dr. Go Red” Nancy Branyas, MD Cardiologist
Working together with our physician partners and owners to provide The Best Heart Care in Indiana. Period. IS-0000009406