Wearing red and armed with blood pressure cuffs, health professionals at Mount Sinai South Nassau marked last Friday with a Go Red Day celebration aimed at raising awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death for women in the United States.
The event, held in the hospital’s atrium, brought doctors, nurses and community educators together to spotlight prevention, early detection and the often-overlooked ways in which heart disease affects women differently than men. Free blood pressure screenings and educational demonstrations were offered throughout the morning.
“Heart disease is still not on most women’s radar,” said Dr. Pilar Stevens-Haynes, the hospital’s director of noninvasive cardiology and board president of the American Heart Association on Long Island. “Women tend to fear breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, but cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of women.”
According to the American Heart Association, one of every three women who die each year succumbs to heart disease, compared with one of every 31 who dies from breast cancer. Since 1984, more women than men have died annually from heart disease, and 90 percent of women have at least one risk factor.
Stevens-Haynes emphasized the importance of knowing personal health numbers — particularly blood pressure — and understanding that women’s symptoms can be subtler than the classic chest pain often portrayed on television.
“Women are much less likely to have that crushing chest pain,” Stevens-Haynes explained. “Symptoms can be fatigue, shortness of breath, exercise intolerance or even indigestion. Too often women dismiss these signs as stress, weight gain or just being out of shape.”
Nurse Abigail Fromm, the hospital’s director of community education, echoed that message, noting that many people either do not have a primary care physician or don’t understand their readings when they are checked.
“We hear it all the time: someone thinks 140 over 80 is normal,” Fromm said. “But there are evidence-based guidelines that define what’s healthy. Knowing your numbers gives you a baseline, and that’s where prevention starts.”
Members of the MSSN staff demonstrated how to interpret blood pressure readings and explained the risks associated with uncontrolled hypertension. Fromm encouraged staffers as well as visitors to stop by the screening tables.
“We do this every year because it’s a reminder — not just for staff, but for the entire community,” Fromm said. “We don’t just wait for people to come to us. We go out into the community — senior centers, schools, universities, recreation centers and fire departments — to remove barriers to care.”
Go Red Day is held annually, she said, though this year’s event was scaled back due to staffing challenges. Still, hospital leaders said it was important not to skip the awareness campaign.
“This time of year is a reset for a lot of people,” Fromm said. “They’re coming off the holidays and thinking about lifestyle changes. It’s the perfect time to remind them to check their blood pressure, watch their diet and understand their risk.”
Stevens-Haynes also discussed how life stages unique to women — including pregnancy, menopause and hormonal changes — can increase cardiovascular risk. She noted that while estrogen may offer some protection before menopause, risk rises significantly later in life, often catching women off guard.
“By the time women reach 65, their risk equals or exceeds that of men,” Stevens-Haynes explained. “And because women haven’t always been told they’re at risk, they may delay seeking help.”
She pointed to advances in screening and imaging that now allow physicians to detect early signs of heart disease before symptoms appear. Tests such as a coronary calcium scoring can help determine whether patients need medication or lifestyle changes.
“Primary prevention is always better than treating disease after the fact,” Stevens-Haynes said. “We’re now able to give patients a clearer picture of their risk and intervene earlier.”
National Wear Red Day, observed annually on the first Friday in February, is part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. The initiative aims to change the perception of heart disease, improve research and encourage women to take charge of their heart health.
“The more we talk about it, the more normal these conversations become,” Stevens-Haynes said. “Heart disease is preventable in many cases, but only if women know the risks and take action.”
