February 2 is National Wear Red Day for American Heart Month

By Cathy Padilla

Don’t forget to WEAR RED today! From landmarks to online communities, neighborhoods to news anchors, this annual groundswell unites millions of people for a common goal: the eradication of heart disease and stroke. Wear red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease and help save lives. Why? Because losing even one heart to cardiovascular disease is too many. February 2 is the American Heart Association’s (AHA) signature women's initiative, Go Red for Women day. This campaign since 2004 has addressed the awareness and clinical care gaps of the most significant health threat to women: cardiovascular disease (CVD). 

The entire month of February is American Heart Month. This year, the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) of the CDC is focusing on women. Women are encouraged to listen to their hearts and speak up for their health. Women in the United States are experiencing unacceptable and avoidable heart-related illness and death, and nearly half of U.S. women do not recognize that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women.

DHDSP aims to shed light on this important topic so that women no longer experience delayed recognition, diagnosis, and treatment for cardiac events, such as heart attacks.