Nutley, NJ – The Township of Nutley has declared a “Red Alert”for Friday, February 5, 2010 joining with the American Heart Association in bringing attention to the No. 1 killer of New Jersey and American females – heart disease. Nutley Township employees are joining towns throughout New Jersey and across the nation by wearing something red on Friday, February 5, 2010, the Seventh Annual National Wear Red Day for Women. The Board of Commissioners will support the effort by introducing a commemorative Resolution at its January 26, 2010 meeting.

On February 5th, Township residents can join municipal employees by wearing red and donating $5.00 to the American Heart Association. Money raised will benefit research and education to help reduce the incidence of heart disease and stroke in women. National Wear Red Day for Women is an official activity of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women movement, a national movement to create awareness for women of their risk for heart disease and stroke and take to action to reduce that risk.

“For many, heart disease is personal,” said Mayor Joanne Cocchiola. “This is about our mothers and daughters, our friends and colleagues. National Wear Red Day for Women is an opportunity for everyone to remember female friends and family members who have suffered from heart disease. It’s also a time to think about their own hearts and to make positive choices and changes for their own health,” added Mayor Cocchiola.

In addition to the national Wear Red Day, the mayor would like to invite women of the community to share their heart stories and the choices they make to live a heart-healthy lifestyle, empowering others by example. This inspirational campaign, ‘Stories From the Heart’, will take place throughout the month of February. Please submit your story by Friday, February 26th to the Office of the Mayor, 149 Chestnut St., Nutley, NJ 07110 Attn: Heart Stories. Your story will be judged by a panel of heart health professionals. The story awarded “Most Inspiring” will win top prize.

“Women need to speak up and share their personal experiences.” said Mayor Cocchiola. “So many other women can learn valuable information through the process of sharing. It is my hope that we – both men and women – will be better for it,” the Mayor added.

There are many risk factors of heart disease. They are:

·High blood pressure

·High blood cholesterol

·Overweight/obesity

·Physical inactivity

·Diabetes

·Family history of early coronary heart disease

·Age(for women, 55 and older)

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, women often do not take their risk of heart disease seriously – or personally. They fail to make the connection between the risk factors and their own chance of developing heart disease.

The Heart Truth is:

·Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women.

·One in every three women dies of heart disease. One in 30 dies of breast cancer.

·Women’s heart disease risk starts to rise in middle age.

·About 3 million American women have had a heart attack.

·Two-thirds of American women who have had a heart attack don’t make a full recovery.

·Nearly two-thirds of American women who die suddenly of a heart attack had no prior symptoms.

·Americans can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82 percent just by leading a healthy lifestyle.

·Only 55 percent of women are aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women.

·Only 20 percent of women identified heart disease as the greatest health problem facing women today.

To learn more, or to view and order The Heart Truth materials, visit

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth.

For more information, or to join in the effort, call the office of the Mayor, Joanne Cocchiola,

972 284-4972.

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