A major Brooklyn church recently hosted a “Go Red” health fair, underscoring that one in three women die of heart disease every year.
Several area churches, hospitals and health agencies participated in the annual event at God’s Battalion of Prayer, an evangelical church at the corner of Linden Boulevard and Lenox Road in Brooklyn.
“The goal of ‘Go Red’ is to create awareness and educate women about the dangers of heart disease and their role in being proactive in reducing their risks by adopting healthy lifestyle choices,” Lynette Cockfield, secretary of Battalion Ministries, told Caribbean Life.
“The focus of God’s Battalion of Prayer church is to educate and inform residents on health issues in order to realize a healthy Brooklyn,” she added, disclosing that her church has been hosting the “Go Red” health fair for the past 10 years.
Cockfield said 187 people attended the event, and 112 residents were screened.
Healthcare institutions and organizations that conducted screenings and other activities comprised: Weill Cornel Community Clinic (height/weight, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and counseling); Bay Ridge Holistic Healthcare (chiropractic adjustments, massage and nerve assessments); SUNY Downstate Medical Center (vision, asthma and flu shots); the Fire Department of New York/ Emergency Medical Services (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation); and Hibiscus Spa (massage and spa treatments).
Others were: The American Heart Association (information and demonstrations on healthy heart); National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – NAACP (information); and the American Italian Cancer Foundation (breast cancer screening).
“The partnerships went extremely well, and we want to continue working together,” Cockfield said.
“The ‘Go Red’ weekend was a tremendous success,” she added. “Individuals were screened, and the kick-off gospel concert was great. Thanks to all the collaborating churches!”
Those churches were: Christian Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist (SDA), Gohen SDA, Brooklyn Faith SDA, Restoration Temple Assembly of God, Berean Baptist Church and Victory Assembly of God.
Since its inception, the American Heart Association (AHA) has led efforts in research, prevention and treatment of heart disease, providing knowledge-based solutions for people of all ages.
Every year, the AHA works together with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and other government agencies to compile the most comprehensive and up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases.
These statistics are used by health researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals and consumers, serving as a major source for monitoring the cardiovascular health of the wider population.
According to the AHA, heart disease is the no. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.
The AHA said heart disease kills about one woman every minute. An estimated 43 million women in the US are affected by heart disease.
Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease, said the AHA, adding that, since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease.
The AHA said the symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men, and are often misunderstood.
