Governor's Wife To Speak In Winona At Health Forum
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE - Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' wife, Cheri, will speak in Winona Lake about the importance of women's heart health.
Cheri will be the featured keynote speaker at the 2010 Heart Truth Campaign of Kosciusko County and Free Women's Health Forum.
The forum is set for Feb. 4, with doors opening at 6 p.m. at Rodeheaver Auditorium, Winona Lake. Cheri is scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m.
Tri Kappa is hosting the health forum, and Kosciusko Community Hospital is serving as a partner for the event.
Tri Kappa's mission is to promote charity, culture and education.
Cheri has formed a partnership with the Indiana Department of Health in helping to raise awareness about women's heart disease.
For many years, Cheri thought the greatest risk of women's health was breast cancer.
After her mom was diagnosed with heart disease, she learned that it was the number one killer of women. She decided to work to share information with Hoosiers about the disease.
Throughout a partnership with the State Department of Health, she established the Heart to Heart program and travels throughout the state to encourage people to live heart-healthy lives.
Dana Leon Huffer, Alpha Lambda Chapter of Tri Kappa's women's health committee chair, said this will be the fourth year for the forum.
The Heart Truth campaign is a national awareness campaign created by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes Department of Health.
It also is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Office of Women's Health, Department of Health and Human Services, American Heart Association, WomenHeart, and the National Coalition of Women With Heart Disease.
"Women of every age and demographic are encouraged to attend to increase their awareness and be educated on the topic of women's heart disease," Leon Huffer said.
KCH will offer free metabolic risk screening beginning at 6 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The screening will help women focus on the importance of their health, specifically their heart health, according to Joy Lohse, KCH marketing and public relations director.
The screening will include a fingerstick glucose/blood sugar, blood pressure, waist circumference and a self-assessment questionnaire.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions (increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels) that occur together increasing risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
"The problem is that many women wait until a serious cardiac event to occur before they consider their own heart health," she said.Lohse said the purpose of the seminar is to encourage women to value their health and learn about heart attack prevention.
National Wear Red Day is Feb. 5 when people are encouraged to wear red to promote women's heart health awareness.
For more information on the Heart Truth Campaign, visit www.hearttruth.gov
