Go Red, Amarillo!
Spread the Word About Heart Disease Awareness for Women

What may surprise some people is that heart disease -- not breast cancer -- is the number one killer of women in the United States. Each year 267,000 women die from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.

"Cardiovascular disease causes forty-three percent of deaths in American women," says Leanna Tijerina, RN, Administrative Director of The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas. "Women must listen ... heart disease is a major threat."

GET THE FACTS
Spreading the message about heart disease is crucial to saving lives. That's why community partners in Amarillo have launched a year-round campaign devoted to awareness of heart disease in women.

The following have partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA) to educate the community during the "Amarillo Goes Red" campaign:

• The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas
• Cardiology Center of Amarillo
• Happy State Bank

"We're letting people know that we're here for them. If you have questions, we have answers about heart disease," Mrs. Tijerina says.

During the year, educational seminars will be held throughout the community. Free health screenings for women will be available for heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose and blood pressure levels.

BECOME EMPOWERED
At the AHA's annual "Go Red" seminar and luncheon -- scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the Amarillo Civic Center -- women can learn how their diets, exercise and daily lifestyles affect their risks for heart disease.

"Smoking, being overweight, eating foods that are high in fat and getting too little exercise are all significant risk factors for heart disease," Mrs. Tijerina says. "Fortunately these risk factors can be minimized or controlled by altering lifestyle choices.

"Because many women are busy working and keeping their families going," Mrs. Tijerina says, "they often think they ‘don't have time' to worry about their health.

"Taking care of yourself, getting checkups and knowing your baseline numbers for cholesterol and other factors is the best thing you can do for your family," she says. "Your health is the greatest gift you can give them."

HOW TO BECOME INVOLVED

• Show your support for heart disease awareness by wearing red on the AHA's National Wear Red Day^SM for Women on Friday, Feb. 2.
• Join the "Amarillo Goes Red" initiative.
• Schedule a guest speaker to visit your church group or organization to discuss heart disease in women.
• Learn more about heart disease by logging on to www.goredforwomen.org.

Please call the American Heart Association at 806-457-0090 for more information.

Can You Recognize Symptoms of a Heart Attack?
Contrary to belief, heart attacks do not always produce crushing pain that causes people to collapse to the floor … at least not in women.

Signs of heart attack, or heart disease, in women are much milder than in most men and sometimes can mimic flu-like symptoms.

According to Leanna Tijerina, RN, Administrative Director of The Heart Hospital of Northwest Texas, look for these symptoms:

• Feeling "achy" or fatigued
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain in between shoulder blades

If you experience these symptoms, which may not differ from the typical signs and symptoms, see your physician immediately.

1501 S. Coulter, Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 354-1000