Wear your heart on your RED sleeve

Wear Red Day on February 12 supports new initiative to combat women’s heart disease

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, matters of the heart are naturally on the mind. Today, February 12th, put on a piece of red clothing to show support for the Women’s Health Heart Initiative (WHHI) at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The MUHC’s Wear Red Day is part of a national campaign to raise awareness about heart disease in women. Founded last year by MUHC nurse clinician Wendy Wray, the WHHI is the first nurse-led women’s heart disease primary prevention clinic in Quebec and one of the first in Canada.

“It is well documented that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) – particularly coronary heart disease and stroke – is a major cause of death in women in Quebec and Canada,” explains Wendy Wray, nurse director of the WHHI. “What is less known is that there are important differences in the symptoms of CVD between men and women.”

Misconceptions still persist that CVD is not a ‘real problem’ for women, despite 2005 statistics showing that it accounts for over thirty per cent of all female deaths in Canada – more than all forms of cancer combined. “We need to raise awareness of CVD in women,” says Wendy Wray. “This is one of the goals of the Women’s Health Heart Initiative and it is one of the goals of Wear Red Day at the MUHC.”

The funds raised through the event will help the WHHI clinic provide resources and counseling to reduce women’s risk of heart disease. So far, over one hundred people have been enrolled in the clinic since it opened last year. These women receive complete heart disease risk assessment, treatment, counseling and close follow-up within a collaborative nurse-physician practice.

Last year’s ‘Wear Red Day’ raised close to $3,000. This year’s objective is to raise $10,000. By giving a $5 donation—and wearing red on February 12-- you can help advance research into women’s health issues, leading to raised awareness and saved lives. Visit muhc.ca/cause/store.

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are The Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. The goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the healthcare field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge.