Annual event to raise awareness becomes a tradition
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four women in the U.S. will die from heart disease. Each year, Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth works to eradicate this fact with an educational event welcoming the public to learn how to better take care of themselves.
Trinitas will host the annual Going Red for Women event at 5:30PM on Tuesday, February 12 at Garden Restaurant, 943 Magie Ave. in Union. This year, dinner will be served, and Dr. Mirette Habib, interventional cardiologist at Trinitas, will lecture on “Women and Heart Disease.”
Going Red for Women has become part of a national movement launched by the American Heart Association (AHA) designed to raise awareness about the potentially deadly disease.
Among the list of risk factors surrounding heart disease, Dr. Habib cites age as number one. “Estrogen protects the heart until we hit age 55, when screening for heart disease risk factors is important. Number two is family history; genetics puts us at risk, despite caution and risk factor control.”
While number three is tobacco use and number four is obesity, Dr. Habib warns that diabetics should pay particularly close attention to the early signs. “Diabetes, by definition, is a cardiac equivalent,” she says. “It’s as if you already have coronary artery disease. If you have diabetes, symptoms of heart disease are less obvious and harder to diagnose.”
Nancy DiLiegro, PhD, FACHE, Chief Clinical Officer/Vice President of Clinical Operations and Physician Services, says, “With this annual event, we aim to educate women about their role in either restoring heart health or maintaining it. There are many components to making the appropriate lifestyle changes to adopt heart healthy practices such as diet, exercise, and knowing their risk factors.”
Dr. DiLiegro, a member of the Northern NJ AHA as well as a member of the Founders Affiliate AHA Board for eight states, and a past chair of the AHA Northern NJ board, is aware of the tendency for many women because they are often primary caretakers, to put everyone else in their lives first. “Managing stress is of major importance when it comes to having a healthy heart. Too many women put themselves last on the list and don’t manage to eliminate needless stress. You can’t take care of anyone else if you don’t first take care of yourself.”
The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Guests must register by calling 908-994-5139.
About Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center was established in 2000 following the consolidation of Elizabeth General Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital. Trinitas, a major center for comprehensive health services for those who live and work in Central New Jersey, is a Catholic teaching medical center sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in partnership with Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation. With 12 Centers of Excellence across the continuum of care, Trinitas has distinguished itself in cardiology, cancer care, behavioral health, renal care, nursing education, diabetes management, wound healing, breast health, seniors health care, women's health care and sleep medicine.