Laura Bush sits with Assistant Secretary for Health (acting)
Dr. Cristina Beato,
center, and heart attack survivor Joyce Cullen, left, during White House ceremonies to
launch American Heart Month Monday, Feb. 2, 2004. The event, part of the national Heart
Truth Campaign, was held to highlight the issue of heart disease as the number-one
killer of women in the United States. White House photo by Susan Sterner.
Mrs. Bush announces American Heart Month
On February 2, Mrs. Laura Bush hosted a women's heart health event at the
White House to announce American Heart Month and to preview a number of
upcoming activities designed to raise awareness of women's heart disease.
Mrs. Bush highlighted elements of a Presidential Proclamation, signed by
President Bush during the event, declaring February as American Heart
Month and Friday, February 6, 2004, as the first annual National Wear Red
Day in support of women's heart disease awareness.
The event also launched The Heart Truth Road Show, which will take
off in
March and travel to Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Diego.
Women will have the opportunity to attend a heart health exhibit and
participate in a risk factor screening program. The Road Show will
provide screening for 1,000 women at every stop.
Sponsored by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services , through
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes
of Health, The Heart Truth is a national awareness campaign that
warns
women of the risk of heart disease and the need to take action against its
causes. The focus of the campaign is women at mid-life, the time when
their risk of heart disease starts to increase. But the message is also
for women of all ages. Heart disease develops over time and can start in
the teen years; and older women, even those who already have heart
disease, can take action to lower their risk .
The primary message driving The Heart Truth campaign is: Heart
disease
doesn't care what you wear - it's the #1 killer of women. The campaign
pairs the message with an arresting visual image - the Red Dress - to
reinforce the fact that heart disease isn.t only a problem for men.
Introduced in February 2003 in New York City during Fashion Week, the Red
Dress symbol has ignited a desire among women, community groups and
organizations to spread this lifesaving message to women across America.
The Basic Facts:
"The Heart Truth" is: Heart disease is the #1 killer of
American women. Yet most women don't know it.
One in three American women dies of heart disease.
Most women do not take heart disease seriously - or
personally.
To have a healthy heart, it is critical to know the risk factors
for heart disease. They are: high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
diabetes, smoking, being overweight, being physically inactive, having a
family history of early heart disease, and age (55 or older for
women).
Historic Preservation
Mrs. Bush has announced a White House initiative to protect and restore our nation's
cultural and natural resources - from monuments and buildings to landscapes and main streets. Executive Order
