LEWISTON – The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute will sponsor “Take Heart: A Life-Changing Approach to Heart Health for Women,” a telecast featuring three nationally-known experts on women’s health, on Thursday, Jan. 29.

The live broadcast will feature:

Kathy Smith, president of Kathy Smith Lifestyles, Los Angeles. Smith is a fitness expert who has helped people start exercising and make healthier lifestyle choices with her series of books and videos.

Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz, medical director for Women’s Health at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Merz is a cardiologist who serves as director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center at Cedars-Sinai. She is the national clinical expert for the Women’s HeartAdvantage Program.

Kathy Kastan, president, WomenHeart, a national coalition for women with heart disease. At 42, Kastan is a heart bypass survivor.

Women attending the presentation will learn about their risks for heart disease and how they can take charge of their heart health. In addition to learning about the latest clinical findings regarding women and heart disease, attendees will find out about educational resources and participate in a health risk assessment to identify their own heart disease risks.

The program is for all women, but particularly those age 35 and older.

The broadcast and a follow-up question-and-answer session will be presented beginning at 7 p.m. with the following hosts and locations:

Lewiston-Auburn: Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute Central Maine Medical Center board room, 300 Main St. Call 795-2614 to reserve a seat.

Farmington: Franklin Memorial Hospital, Ben Franklin Center, Route 4. Call 779-2381 to make reservations.

Augusta: Medical Care Development, University of Maine at Augusta, Katz Library Building, Room 53, 46 University Drive. Call 622-7566, extension 204.

Bath-Brunswick: Parkview Adventist Medical Center, University College at Bath/Brunswick. 9 Park Street, Bath. Call 373-2162.

Rumford-Mexico: Rumford Hospital, University College at Rumford/Mexico, 13 Brown St., Mexico. Call 369-1143.

The death rate from heart disease for women is higher than seven of the other leading causes of death combined, including breast cancer. Among women ages 35 to 70, 81 percent are at risk of heart disease, yet only 25 percent have been diagnosed or consider themselves at risk.

“Most women continue to believe that heart disease primarily occurs in men,” said Pam Hageny, CMHVI’s director of prevention and outreach. “Our Women’s HeartAdvantage Take Heart campaign is a call to action for the women of Maine. Many women are simply not aware that they are vulnerable to heart disease and heart attacks. Research tells us that even women who have one or more risk factors consider themselves at low risk for developing heart disease.”

The program is free. It is supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca and is presented in conjunction with the Women’s HeartAdvantage campaign. For more information, call 795-2715.


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