Wellmont, American Heart Association partner to bring Go Red For Women to region

Around the nation in cities large and small, a half million women have chosen to “Go Red,” taking a meaningful step toward better heart health.

Now, for the first time, Wellmont Health System and the American Heart Association are bringing the power of Go Red for Women to Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The Wellmont Regional Heartcare Network has partnered with AHA as the exclusive, multi-year cause sponsor of Tri-Cities Goes Red.

Together, Wellmont and the heart association will “paint the region red” all year long with dynamic events and programs including National Wear Red Day in February and the region’s first Go Red for Women luncheon next spring. Area women will have the opportunity to enroll in the free Go Red program to receive the tools and information they need to prevent heart disease.

Go Red For Women is a national movement by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of the effects of heart disease on women.

“Every year, heart disease kills more women than the next five leading causes of death combined,” said Dr. Freddie Williams, a Kingsport cardiologist who will serve as the region’s Go Red for Women physician champion. “Yet research has shown 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented through diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

“Small changes can make a big difference when it comes to your heart health. Together, that’s the message Wellmont and the American Heart Association are bringing to area women through Go Red.”

National results show that women who “Go Red” are more likely to make better choices. Among women who have joined Go Red:

•  More than 40 percent have lost weight
• More than half have increased the amount they exercise
• Six out of 10 have changed their diet
• Fifty-three percent have checked their cholesterol levels
• A third have investigated their heart-health family history or talked to their doctor about their personal heart risk

“Through the Wellmont Regional Heartcare Network, our region’s leading hospitals, cardiac specialists and family physicians deliver superior heart care every day,” said Mike Snow, Wellmont’s president and CEO. “This partnership brings together the medical expertise of our clinicians and the resources of the American Heart Association for the good of women across the Mountain Empire.”

The regionwide Tri-Cities Goes Red effort will encourage women to take control of their health by knowing their personal risk factors for heart disease, as well as the warning signs for a heart attack. Known for its use of a red dress, the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement began in 2003 as an effort to bring heart disease to the forefront of women’s health.

“This partnership with the Wellmont Regional Heartcare Network will help us effectively reach a larger audience with our message of heart health,” said Amanda Henley Cascio, regional director of the American Heart Association’s Greater Southeast Affiliate. “Wellmont’s support will help us go even further in spreading the messages of Go Red for Women. We expect to see the red dress icon all over Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.”