Providence Invites Women to Red Dress Rally at the State House

Providence Heart & Vascular Institute encourages women to attend its third annual Red Dress Rally on Thursday, Feb. 1, to call greater attention to the danger of heart disease among women.

The event will be held at noon in the rotunda of the State House, and women are encouraged to wear red dresses for the occasion. At the rally, the governor will officially dedicate this day to the issue of heart disease in women. Representatives from the American Heart Association will be present, as well as Providence Red Dress Ambassadors, women who have volunteered to spread the word about the importance of this critical health issue.

“February is National Heart Month, and we believe the Red Dress Rally is a great way to kick off the many activities designed to call attention to the issue of heart disease,” says Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, president and chief executive officer of Providence. “We want women to understand that heart disease is preventable and controllable.”

The annual Red Dress Rally is one of several activities associated with the hospital’s Red Dress Campaign, which uses the visual of a red dress to help communicate that heart disease is not just a man’s disease and is the number one cause of death among women. While most women assume that breast cancer is their chief health threat, heart disease actually kills nearly 12 times as many women as breast cancer. Nationwide heart disease kills half a million women each year, compared to 42,000 for breast cancer.

Other activities in February associated with heart disease include:

• National Wear Red or “Red Dress” Day. The first Friday in February is celebrated annually as “Wear Red” or “Red Dress” Day. Women are encouraged to wear red dresses, and men are encouraged to wear red to call attention to the issue of heart disease.
• Providence Heart & Vascular Institute is launching a Red Dress Patch Program for the Girl Scouts in the lobby of Providence Heart & Vascular Institute at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8. In order to receive a Red Dress patch, girl scouts must participate in health-related activities involving education and community service. This kick-off event will help launch the badge program to troop leaders in the Midlands and beyond. The first group of Girl Scouts to earn their Red Dress patches will be recognized at the Providence Heart & Sole Women’s Five Miler on May 5.
• Children in grades K-8 in Lexington, Richland, and Kershaw counties are invited to submit their entries to the annual Red Dress Art Contest by Friday, Feb. 9. The contest requires students to draw a picture incorporating a red dress and heart health. All entries will be on display at Columbia Place Mall starting Wednesday, Feb. 14. Winners will be chosen from the entries, and their work will be displayed in the Women’s Heart Center. For more information on this contest, visit www.RedDressCampaign.com.
• Providence Hospitals is offering a “Heart to Heart Women’s Support Group. This group will take a closer look at your health, your heart, and your spirit. Women between the ages of 45 and 60 who are interested in taking a closer look at life and its meaning are encouraged to attend. Providence Employee Counselor Martha Beahm, LMC, LMFT will facilitate this support group. These meetings are held twice a month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Providence Women’s Health Center. To register, contact Martha Beahm by calling 256-5676.
• Take Heart and Smile is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. A Providence registered dietician will be at EdVenture Children’s Museum to talk about the importance of good nutrition in children’s lives. This special event focuses on the important of dental health, diet and lifestyle choices in creating good heart health throughout one’s life.
• Providence Hospitals and USC’s McCutchen House present Carolina Cuisine Heart Healthy Cooking Class at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 21. For $15, participants will be able to eat while learning how to cook the heart healthy dishes featured in the lunch. Future programs will be held in the evenings and will include four- or five-course meals and wine. For more information or to reserve one of the limited spaces for this new program, call Becky Moody at (803) 777-8225.
• “Lady in Red: Healthy Heart Program for Women” will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at Seawell’s. Providence is partnering with the South Carolina Alliance of Health Plans (SCAHP) to host a half-day seminar centered around women and heart health. This program costs $5 and is open to the general public. Guest speakers will include Laura Herbert from the Women’s Heart Center, Heather Hoopes-Matthews and Dr. Taylor Williams of Columbia Cardiology Consultants.

Providence continues to actively recruit Red Dress Ambassadors—women willing to spread the word about the Red Dress Campaign in their churches, businesses or other organizations. Women interested in becoming Red Dress Ambassadors and businesses and organizations that want to be a part of this ongoing program can sign up by visiting www.RedDressCampaign.com or by calling the Public Relations & Marketing department of Providence at (803) 256-5460.

Providence Heart & Vascular Institute, often called “South Carolina’s Heart Hospital,” is a referral center widely recognized for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Since the Heart Institute opened in 1974, the staff at Providence has performed more cardiovascular procedures than any other medical team in the state. Each year, the facility performs nearly 1,000 open-heart surgeries and more than 7,000 heart catheterizations.