Sarah Adams’ grandmother had her first heart attack at the age of 32. So when she was offered the opportunity to be a model in a fashion show to raise awareness about women and heart disease, Sarah, an employee of The Aroostook Medical Center, was eager to help. On Feb. 2, Sarah joined men and women from all over Aroostook County in supporting the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day, a national campaign held to bring attention to a problem that has become the greatest health risk to women.
Businesses from all over Aroostook County participated in the national celebration by encouraging employees to wear their favorite red clothing to work and by offering discounts to the public. In Presque Isle, The Aroostook Medical Center joined with the Aroostook Centre Mall and Partnership for a Healthy Community, a Project of ACAP, to offer a strolling fashion show, health screenings and health information booths at the mall. Models dressed in the latest fashions from several mall stores greeted mall goers and handed out discount coupons. At the mall entrance, each woman entering the mall received a rose and a chance to win a door prize.
“It’s great to see the community come together to support such an important event,” said Joy Barresi Saucier, vice president of public relations, strategic planning and development at The Aroostook Medical Center. “As a healthcare organization, we see the effects of heart disease every day. Getting the word out so that women will take steps to reduce their risk is something that we’re passionate about, and we’re happy to be partnering with the mall and Partnership for a Healthy Community to help women understand the facts.”
Raising awareness is so important because heart disease affects women more than many people believe. Breast cancer is often cited by women as their most feared health concern, but heart disease, the number one killer of women in the United States, kills more women than the next five causes of death combined.
“Breast cancer will kill one in 30 a year, and heart disease kills one in 2.5,” said Carol Bell, project coordinator for Partnership for a Healthy Community. “If we can promote some things that people can do to reduce their risk, that’s a good thing.”
Women can minimize many of the risk factors of heart disease by controlling their blood pressure and cholesterol, not smoking, getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.
“One of the things I’ve read which is amazing to me is that a study was done that found if a woman walks an hour a week it can reduce her risk of cardiovascular disease by 50 percent,” added Bell. “Hopefully we can get the message out to everybody because there is still a misconception that heart disease is a man’s disease.”
On Friday, the mall was awash in a sea of red as most people walking through the building wore some kind of red clothing.
“It’s a neat thing to be part of something that’s so incredibly important to every person, but particularly to every woman,” said Patti Crooks, general manager of the Aroostook Centre Mall. “And it’s great to look around and see everybody in red.”
The Aroostook Medical Center is a member of EMHS, an organization committed to standing behind its members as a tireless advocate so that both immediate and ongoing healthcare services will be available when and where they are needed.
To see more photos of the public support of 'Go Red' day, click here!
