news release
ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director of Communications

CONTACT: SUSAN TOLCHIN (914) 995-2932

VICTORIA HOCHMAN (914) 995-2950

SEPT. 19 2003

NOTICE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS

WESTCHESTER COUNTY UNVEILS NEW HEART PROGRAM FOR WOMEN

County to work with American Heart Association on campaign about women and heart disease

Women are more likely to die of a heart attack than any other disease, yet studies show that most women still associate heart attacks with men.

To change this thinking, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano will announce a new public awareness campaign for women at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at the start of the American Heart Association Heart Walk at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.

Spano will be joined by representatives from the American Heart Association and the Department of Health as well as heart attack survivors who will talk about the importance of controlling heart disease.

The campaign, “Take Care of Yourself”, is aimed at convincing women that they need to pay serious attention to risks of heart disease and take steps to promote a healthy lifestyle.

“Many women still believe that heart disease is a man’s disease, and that’s just not the case,’’ said Spano. “One in three women die of a heart attack. Yet studies show that more women are worried about breast cancer. That’s unfortunate because so many women could be saved if they knew the risks and took steps to prevent heart disease. We are hoping that this new campaign will serve as a wake-up call to women.’’

The “Take Care of Yourself” campaign is a three-step concept. The first step is to convince women that heart disease affects them. The second is to educate women on symptoms they might have that are different from mens’ and risks that can increase their chances of having a heart attack. And the third is to help them start a personal program to monitor their heart health and develop healthy habits such as eating right and being physically active.

The program is being publicized on the county’s website at www.Westchestergov.com/womenshealth.

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It will also be featured in the county Health Department’s Nutritional Nuggets newsletter distributed to schools, worksites, and other institutions and in Physician’s Corner, a special county web page devoted to health professionals.

“Through this campaign, we want women to become aware that their health is of vital importance to their well-being and to that of their family and community,’’ said Joshua Lipsman, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health.

Westchester is also working with the American Heart Association on a similar campaign for women which they will be announcing in February as part of National Heart Month.

“Educating women about heart disease is an important objective of the American Heart Association and we are pleased that the County Executive’s Office has made the issue of women and heart disease a priority,’’ said Barbara Z. Monohan, chair of the Westchester Region American Heart Association Board of Directors. “We look forward to working with them throughout the year to increase women’s awareness about heart disease and to provide preventative information and tools, such as our Simple Solutions and Take Wellness to Heart programs, that women can use to reduce their risks.’’

About 3 million American women have had heart attacks. And in 2000, more Westchester women died of heart attacks than men. African-American woman are at particularly high risk of heart disease. According to studies, they are 60 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than white women. Smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels all dramatically increase the risk of heart attack.

As part of the “Take Care of Yourself” campaign the Health Department is introducing a program called “Know Your Numbers,” which helps women evaluate and monitor their health risks. “Know Your Numbers” instructs women on how to keep track of their cholesterol levels – HDL and LDL levels – as well as their blood glucose, blood pressure and BMI or body mass index, which measures the ratio of fat to body weight. By keeping these factors in check, women can significantly reduce their chances of having a heart attack.

The new “Take Care of Yourself” campaign is part of a larger effort by the county to increase health awareness that started last spring with the launch of the Fit Kids program to prevent childhood obesity. This was followed in June with a similar campaign to target adults. More than 1,000 people attended the Fun in Fitness Festival at Kensico Dam to learn about proper nutrition and ways to keep fit.

For more information about the “Take Care of Yourself’’ campaign, visit www.Westchestergov.com or call the Department of Health at 813-5000.

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