White Plains Hospital Goes Red for Women's Heart Health

Nurses gave out kisses—the chocolate kind—at the hospital’s heart health educational fair to celebrate Wear Read Day and bring awareness to the number one cause of death in women: heart disease. 

“As nurses in health care we fight heart disease," said Leigh Anne McMahon, the vice president of nursing administration. "We see the debilitating effects of heart disease every single day—so as advocates for our patients, part of our role is education before they have to come into the hospital and we have to deal with that disease.” 

“This is a preventable disease.” 

The American Heart Association says cardiovascular disease kills more women than all cancers combined, and is caused when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries, making it more difficult for blood to flow, creating a risk for a heart attack or stroke. Read more about Wear Red Day and the National Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign at goredforwomen.org. 

Over at the kissing booth—nurses gave out Hershey’s dark chocolate Kisses, rich in antioxidants, to those who donated to the White Plains Hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk Team. The hospital also sold raffle tickets for prizes, pins, vests and t-shirts to raise money for the team.

“They [chocolate candies] make you happy,” said Christine Coons, of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, which serves patients after they leave the hospital’s care. “A happy heart is a healthy heart.”

This doesn’t mean it is healthy to spluge on chocolate. Hospital staff at the “Ask a Nurse,” booth said the key to having a happy and healthy heart is adjust your lifestyle to include exercise, a healthy diet and coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Poor diet, lack of exercise and stress are main causes of cardiovascular diease.

The “Ask the Pharmacist” booth was on hand to answer questions about medication and the effects of multiple medications when taken together. The event also included information on healthy diets, the symptoms and causes of heart disease, as well as blood pressure screenings.

“It’s important that women, who are the caretakers for the family, are more aware of their own health—then they can take care of people around them,” said Jennifer Shannon, nurse manager in the cardiac care unit.  

The hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, which opened two years ago and is nicknamed the “cath lab,” also had its own table set up at the fair. 

“It’s a way to treat heart disease right here at White Plains Hospital, “said McMahon. “People with a heart attack and get to the cath lab and prevent damage to their heart within a few hours—it’s really been such a wonderful thing for us.”

According to Margaret Walotsky, a cath lab nurse who recently attended the Cardiovascular Research’s Foundation’s summit in December, said 60 percent of women aren’t aware of their risk of cardiovascular disease, and those numbers increase when it comes to Black and Latina women.

Walotsky said it’s important to get women to be aware of the symptoms of heart disease early on, as women are more likely to hold off caring for themselves. She said a poll revealved that 50 percent of women said they would drive themselves to the hospital, rather than calling an ambulance, or wait longer if they felt heart attack symptoms.

Click here to watch actress/director Elizabeth Banks’ hilarious take on this in her video “Just a Little Heart Attack.” 

According to Walotsky, the classic male heart attack symptoms, such as sudden and distinctive chest pains, are different in women and include back pain, shortness of breath, fatigue. She said that more women need to be involved in clinical trials to develop an understanding on how heart disease specifically affects women, as women make up about 20 percent of the participation in clinical trials.

booth was selling $10 hair extensions with the funds going to the hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk team. For the entire Go Red! month they will offer 10 percent off all services to hospitals employees and volunteers. That 10 percent will go back to the White Plains Hospital’s Go Red! Heart Walk team. 

“The beauty business is a women oriented business,” said Nadine Pitaro of Salon Diva, at 79 Mamaroneck Ave.

Pitaro said the salon often contributes to women’s causes. The hospital reached out to Salon Diva to do the red extensions after the salon did pink hair extensions during breast cancer awareness month. 

On Monday, Feb. 6 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Melting Pot, 30 Mamaroneck Avenue, and Salon Diva will be hosting a special FONDUE-Raiser to raise money for the Go Red campaign, click here for details. 

“It’s important that we raise awareness about heart health in our hospital community, as well as outside the community,” said Jon Schandler, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer. 

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