GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It's National Wear Red Day, a day when people all around the country wear red to show their support for the awareness of heart disease.
Here at home, local organizations are doing their part to help.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, and it impacts some women at higher rates than others.
They say among women 20 years and older, nearly 45% are living with some form of heart disease.
For Black women, that number is 49% and for Hispanic women, about 40%.
Experts say these women are often so busy taking care of their families and trying to stretch a dollar, that they often neglecting their own health.
Lifestyle change can be the difference in preventing heart disease. Moving more, eating smart and managing your blood pressure all can help. Officials with the Grand Rapids African American Health Insititute say that’s why it's so important to start educating at a young age.
“We have a program with our health and wellness program where we are teaching eight to 13-year-olds how to cook nutritional food. We also are buying groceries, we are a partner with YMCA with us is buying groceries with recipes so that people are aware of how do I eat healthily and be able to follow a good guideline around that," Mikisha Plescoe, director of operations for the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute, said.:
You can register for the organization’s wellness adventure program now.
GRAAHI is hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Monday (Feb.7) at Brown Hutcherson Ministries.
The Black Nurses Association will also be on hand to provide free blood pressure screenings. No appointments are needed.
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