Heart of a Woman conference to create dialogue between women and their health care providers on heart health
FEBRUARY 11, 2012 (WINNIPEG, MB) – St. Boniface Hospital (SBH) and St. Boniface Hospital Foundation (STBHF), in partnership with the WRHA Cardiac Sciences Program, are proud to announce the creation of a Women’s Heart Health Initiative (WHHI) to improve cardiac outcomes in women. The first major public event of the WHHI is the Heart of a Woman conference, taking place on March 7, 2013 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
“The goal of the WHHI is to foster opportunities for increased research and education into cardiovascular disease in women that will lead to better patient care and help raise public awareness. Most importantly, as always, our purpose is to helpsave lives,” says Dr. Michel Tétreault, President and CEO of St. Boniface Hospital, a nationally recognized centre of excellence in cardiovascular patient care and research. “The Heart of a Woman conference will be a great launching point for this initiative.”
The Heart of Woman Conference will feature guest speakers: Dr. Sharon Mulvagh, Director of the Women’s Heart Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Dr. Sonia Anand, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, McMaster University, and Dr. Ali Zentner, Vancouver Internist and host of CBC’s Village on a Diet, as well as local medical experts from St. Boniface Hospital. Speakers will address topics such as: lowering your risk of heart disease, living with congestive heart failure, and the recognizing the warning signs of a stroke.
Heart of a Woman is a full day conference designed to encourage women and their health care providers to begin a meaningful dialogue on women’s heart health. Registration for the conference is $50, and includes a heart healthy lunch prepared by alocal celebrity chef.
“St. Boniface Hospital Foundation is very excited about the Hospital’s new focus on women’s heart health, and we are excited to be a ‘Heart of a Woman’ partner,” says Chuck LaFlèche, President & CEO, St. Boniface Hospital Foundation. “We have already begun to work with key donors and community leaders to help support the goals and objectives of the Women’s Heart Health Initiative.”
The WHHI will focus on improving awareness and education of women and health professionals of cardiac disease risk factors and warning signs; will support targeted research to improve diagnostics to facilitate early and more accurate detection of heart disease; and ultimately, improve treatment and health outcomes for women.
“Our commitment is to deliver the best possible health outcomes for women with heart disease,” says Dr. Alan Menkis, Medical Director, Cardiac Sciences Program. Prevention, screening and research are essential, because heart disease in women presents differently and is more difficult to detect. Existing research in this field provides an important reference. We can build upon it in our local efforts at St. Boniface Hospital. We must improve access to clinically relevant tests and make this a research focus to improve the body of medical knowledge currently available on the topic.”
For more information on the WHHI, visit www.saintboniface.ca. For more information on the Heart of a Woman conference, visitwww.womenshearthealth.ca.