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VNA promotes awareness of heart disease
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share thisOn National Wear Red Day Friday, millions of people chose to wear red and speak up against heart disease. VNA Health System of Shamokin helped fight heart disease by wearing red and raising money for the American Heart Association to support research and education about the disease.
"VNA Health System is excited to partner with Go Red for Women and the American Heart Association to support this very important and worthwhile cause," said Tara Venna, nurse liaison of VNA. "It gives our employees another reason to discuss cardiac disease with their patients, their family members and co-workers and encourage them to take action. It's meaningful and it's a great way to educate our community."
Since 2004, Go Red for Women has captured the passion and intelligence of women to work together to wipe out heart disease. VNA Health System encourages women and men in the region to take heart disease personally by learning their risk for heart disease, knowing how to live a heart-healthy lifestyle and recognizing the signs and symptoms of heart disease.
According to the American Heart Association, every 37 seconds, someone in American dies from heart and blood vessel disease. Since most of these deaths are from coronary heart disease (about 446,000 each year), it's important to learn as much as possible about heart attacks and one should never ignore health problems. In addition, stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in America. It's also a major cause of severe, long-term disability with people over 55 years of age having the greatest chance of stroke.
A common misconception about heart disease is that it affects only men. Nothing can be further from the truth. One in every three female deaths is caused by cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease continues to be the No. 1 killer of women over the age of 20 and, sadly, only one in five women believe this disease to be their greatest health threat. In fact, nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer.
The American Heart Association has identified several factors that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The more risk factors one has, the greater the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Some of these risk factors cannot be controlled, such as increasing age, family health history, race and gender. But people can lower their risk by modifying, treating, or controlling most risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol intake, weight gain, individual response to stress and diet.
For more information about heart disease and how to reduce your risk, visit GoRedForWomen.org/HeartHealthTools or VNA Health System at 648-8989 or (800) Reach-VNA.
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