ATLANTA – State Representative Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) recently hosted the third annual Women’s Go Red Event on Friday, February 2, 2018, at the Georgia State Capitol to encourage awareness of the issue of women and heart disease. Guest speakers included Dr. Gina Lundberg of the Emory Women’s Heart Center, Vincent Dollard of Grady Memorial Hospital and Lauren Fyock, RN of Piedmont Hospital.
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Every 80 seconds, a woman in America dies from heart disease,” said Rep. Carter. “And 80 percent of cardiovascular disease can be prevented through lifestyle factors and healthy habits.”
“I think the most important thing we can do here today is spread awareness,” added Dr. Lundberg. “When this program started in 2004, less than 30 percent of women knew that heart disease was the number one cause of death in all women. Today, it’s up around 52 percent, but where we’re still lacking in awareness is with our youth, African-American, Hispanic and Latino women.”
According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 44 million women in the U.S. are affected by cardiovascular diseases, while 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease or stroke. Additionally, an estimated 49 percent of African-American women over the age of 20 have some form of heart disease.
Certain risk factors for stroke and heart disease in women include:
- Gestational diabetes, preelclampsia or eclampsia during pregnancy
- Hormone therapy
- Hypertension in those 65 and older
- Obesity or being sedentary
- High cholesterol
Additionally, Go Red for Women encourages women to take control of their health by knowing five life-changing numbers:
- Total cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol
- Blood pressure
- Body sugar
- Body mass index (BMI)
Rep. Carter will be partnering with Emory Women’s Heart Center to host The 10,000 Women Project at the Georgia State Capitol and throughout House District 92. You may contact Rep. Carter at 404-656-0220 to find out how you can help and to get more information.
Video of the press conference can be viewed on the Georgia House of Representatives YouTube page, or by clicking here.
Representative Doreen Carter represents the citizens of District 92, which includes portions of Rockdale and DeKalb counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 and currently serves on the Code Revision, Education, Small Business Development and Special Rules committees.
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