More than 350 attend Go Red For Women luncheon

Date: 3/28/2011

SPRINGFIELD — The American Heart Association hosted its second annual Western Massachusetts Go Red For Women Educational Forum and Luncheon on Feb. 15 generating awareness and funds to benefit women's heart health.

More than 350 men and women attended the luncheon, which raised more than $150,000 to fight heart disease through education and research. Heart disease is the number one killer of both women and men in the United States.

Today, one in three females in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease, but only 21 percent of women view heart disease as a health threat. Although cardiovascular disease claims the lives of more than 433,000 women nationally each year — causing almost one death per minute — it is mostly preventable through education and research.

The Go Red For Women luncheon is designed to empower women with the information, education and awareness needed to help reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke.

For more information on Go Red For Women movement and the risks of heart disease, visit www.GoRedforWomen.org.