National Woman’s Heart Day Health Fairs.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Hispanic women, yet few are aware of the threat it poses to their health. All women should be screened for heart disease, since many conditions that put women at risk, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, are hard to detect without screening.

Women can obtain free heart screenings with on-the-spot results and advice on adopting heart healthy lifestyles at the National Woman’s Heart Day Health Fairs being held in 12 cities across the country on Friday, February 18, 2005. Sponsored by Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation, Inc.(R), the health fairs will be held in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. (see http://www.sistertosister.org for exact times and locations).

“Heart disease is responsible for 25 percent of all Latina deaths,” said Irene Pollin, founder and President of Sister to Sister. “Providing heart screenings so women can learn about their personal risk factors and how to reduce them is a key step in prevention and treatment,” she added.

Bank of America is the presenting national sponsor of the National Woman’s Heart Day Health Fairs. Other sponsors include Univision, America Online, Discovery Health Channel, iVillage, Kellogg’s and the May Company. Government partners include the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Participants can take advantage of the free ten-minute heart health screenings, which measure cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index. Results are provided on-site with a risk assessment and medical counseling. Spanish-speaking screeners and counselors will be available at all locations. Fitness, beauty and cooking demonstrations are featured, as well as giveaways. Participants may take seminars from nationally known experts on diabetes, nutrition, obesity, fitness, quitting smoking and stress management, all key to heart disease prevention. Educational information will also be available in Spanish.

“The good news is that women can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent through simple lifestyle changes,” said Pollin. “Women, who do so much for others, must take care of their own hearts. It may be the best ten minutes they ever spend!”

Sister to Sister is a nonprofit foundation offering whose mission is:

— To make women more aware that heart disease is a leading killer of women

— To offer free nationwide heart health screenings for women, the first step toward prevention

— To encourage women of all ages and backgrounds to adopt heart healthy lifestyles

For more information more information at http://www.sistertosister.org