City Hall goes red to raise awareness for high blood pressure, heart disease in women

This month, Portland City Hall will be illuminated red at night to raise awareness of high blood pressure and heart disease in women, and in recognition of American Heart Month, a promotion by the American Heart Association.

The city announced its outreach Friday, and a table has been set up with handouts on the topics inside the building.

Here’s a Friday statement by City Councilor Nicholas Mavodones released by the city:

The city of Portland has worked hard to address the issue of heart health and we are proud to have been identified as one of the most Heart Friendly Cities in the country by the American Heart Association. As we don red today, we need to help spread the word that heart disease is largely preventable for women and we can’t just rest up previous success but need to continue working together to create a community that encourages people to get active and live healthy lives.

American Heart Month informational table at City Hall. (BDN photos on this page by Seth Koenig)

According to the American Heart Association handouts available in City Hall: “High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it raises the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure. It truly is a ‘silent killer.’ No one knows exactly what causes most cases of high blood pressure. It usually can’t be cured, but it can be controlled. Not treating high blood pressure is dangerous.”

Here’s more from the city release on the motivation for the red lights and outreach, specifically to women:

Heart disease is the number one killer of women aged twenty and older, killing approximately one woman every minute. … With more than 80 million American adults suffering from heart disease, stroke or some other form of cardiovascular disease, American Heart Month is designed to turn around these statistics by educating adults on what the signs are of a heart attack, encouraging the public to learn CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator, and helping men and women take control of their own heart health.

To schedule a preventative screening at the Portland community health center, call 874-2141 or visit http://www.portlandmaine.gov/hhs/phpchcmain.asp.

Another site for more information is www.GoRedforWomen.org.

In the meantime, here’s a list of tips to help control high blood pressure, as provided by the American Heart Association:

  • Lose weight if you’re overweight.
  • Eat a healthy diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and salt.
  • Be physically active for at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week. (The association has a free, 12-week physical activity program for women available at www.ChooseToMove.org)
  • Limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman, and two if you’re a man.
  • Take medicine only the way prescribed by a doctor.
  • Be aware of your blood pressure (normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg — high blood pressure is considered anything over 140/90 mm Hg. The first number measures the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls when the heart beats, and the second number measures that pressure when the heart is at rest, or between beats. Technically, the figures are called your “systolic” and “diastolic” numbers, respectively).
Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.