Rockstars dress in red dresses. Originally uploaded by yaznotjaz.

It wasn’t enough that I’ve been getting emails about children I never knew I had (Bethany is still quite busy unleashing her slacker tendencies, by the way). Now I’m receiving emails from the Office of the Governor…of the State of Kansas. This is better than Bethany, though, because the Governor of Kansas had this to say:

Dear State Employees,

Friday, February 2, 2007, has been set aside as National Wear Red Day. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to join me in wearing red as a showing of support for the fight against heart disease in women and to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one cause of death of women in Kansas, the United States and the world.

Wear Red Day is a nationwide movement that uses a Red Dress as the symbol for heart disease awareness in women. If you do not think heart disease is of concern to you, consider the following facts:

• Each year more women die from heart disease than from the next five leading causes of death combined.
• One-third of women will die from heart disease or stroke.
• Every minute a woman dies from heart disease.
• 64% of women who die from coronary heart disease had no previous evidence of the disease.

Fortunately, heart disease is largely preventable. I believe that preventive health can reduce the number of Kansans at risk for heart disease and urge you to know and control your risk factors:

• Smoking is the single most preventable risk factor for heart disease.
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Unhealthy dietary habits

Your health care provider can work with you to develop a plan to lower your risk for developing heart disease. Additional information about heart disease and Wear Red Day can be found at the American Heart Association or National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

While this observance is a call for women, I am also asking male employees to be involved as a showing of support for the women in your lives.

Thank you for participating in this wonderful cause on this Friday, February 2, as a way to increase awareness, thereby hopefully preventing and controlling heart disease.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Sebelius
Governor of the State of Kansas

[Just to clarify, I am not an employee of the State of Kansas.]

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women (and men), in case you didn’t know. For more information about women and heart disease, check this. As the poster says, No matter how great you look on the outside, heart disease can strike on the inside. And being a woman won’t protect you.

I’m all for symbolism, but this is really about education. The Resources section of the NHLBI website includes a number of factsheets, print and radio PSAs, and one especially important infograph entitled, Questions To Ask Your Doctor/What’s Your Risk? Spreading the Go Red For Women message Love Your Heart raises awareness of heart disease and empowers women to reduce their risk.

Red is ROCKING. Wear it on Friday (and take the time to educate yourself beforehand about why you’re doing so), like the rockstar that you are. Guys, I’m looking at you, too.