Roanoke, Virginia- To raise awareness among local women that heart disease is their #1 health threat, Pebble Creek Apartment Homes today announced a Heart-Healthy Soup Tasting and FREE Blood Pressure Screening Event.   The event will be held on Monday, February 4, 2013 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pebble Creek Apartment Homes office.

According to Pebble Creek Property Manager, Susan Hubbard, “Our Heart-Healthy Soup Tasting and FREE Blood Pressure Screening Event is a great opportunity to reach out to women in our community and alert them to their personal risk factors for heart disease. By joining together we can raise awareness locally about heart disease and help lead women on the path to prevention.”

Carilion Clinic will be providing the FREE Blood Pressure Screenings at the Pebble Creek office.

This activity is in partnership with The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign warning women about their risk of heart disease.  The campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in partnership with The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and other organizations committed to the health and well-being of women.

While The Heart Truth is a national campaign geared specifically toward women, Pebble Creek invites all people to attend this free event.

About The Heart Truth

Although significant progress has been made in increasing awareness among women that heart disease is their #1 killer (from 34 percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2009) most fail to make the connection between its risk factors and their personal risk of developing heart disease. A nationwide campaign, The Heart Truth, is underway to raise awareness that women need to protect their heart.

The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wake-up call to American women. The Red Dress^® reminds women of the need to protect their heart health, and inspires them to take action.

This national campaign is building awareness of women’s heart disease and empowering women to reduce and prevent their risk. It is reaching women with important heart health messages in community settings through a diverse network of national and grassroots partner organizations.

For more information about women and heart disease, including materials such as The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women and fact sheets about women and heart disease, please visit http://www.hearttruth.gov or call the NHLBI Health Information Center at 301-592-8573.

Submitted by Johanna Merritt