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Women Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Women Getting to the Heart of the Matter
If you looked behind the scenes at St. Rose Hospital’s Power of RED campaign you would think it was New York’s Fashion Week or perhaps just a glimpse of this year’s Academy Awards! Although we didn’t have a red carpet or a runway, we did have one thing in common… RED! Red is a bold color and it sends a bold message from women across the nation to promote a heart healthy lifestyle! After all, heart disease touches all of our lives.
For the last five years St. Rose has collaborated with the American Heart Association’s national Go Red for Women campaign where prominent women in and out of our community join together to become St. Rose Hospital’s Champions for Women’s Heart Health. Our focus is to increase awareness of heart disease among women and to inform our community about Alameda County’s Cardiac Receiving Centers.
The Power of RED…
Although our champions look like models, they are all real women from all walks of life and surprisingly, most had never met before arriving at Pro-Image Studios in Dublin for their photo shoot. Some are rather shy and reserved as they are shuffled from dressing rooms stocked with red dresses from Macy’s, then onto hair and make-up. Within a short while they become fast friends as the camera rapidly captures the spirit of camaraderie among the group.
CBS 5 has partnered again this year with St. Rose to support this important health initiative. Early Edition Anchor, Sydnie Kohara has been a spokesperson for the campaign since its inception. "My mother was one of the statistics -- she died of a stroke at the young age of 63," says Kohara. "There is no better way to honor her than to help St. Rose spread its Heart Healthy message." Along with Sydnie, Kate Kelly, Featured Reporter for the CBS 5 Jefferson Awards was also on hand. Singer, songwriter and Broadway actress, Deborah Gibson flew in to participate. Deborah hosts a youth program, Camp Electric Youth and plans on spreading the message to young girls who attend her camp.
A baby was added to the group this year as Dr. Kala Chandler and her daughter Sophie posed to promote heart health. Alameda County Administrator, Susan Muranishi joined the group with Hayward High School freshman, Valeska Gutierrez. Friends and supporters of St. Rose, Rosemary Rhodenbaugh, Marcy Straw, Cara Schott, Faith Tompkins, Tanya Ibrahim and Lisa Gonzales completed the great group of women. Each woman left the photo shoot feeling energized and carrying educational materials about the risk factors of heart disease to share with others.
After the ad is designed, our annual Women’s Heart Health lunch and lecture was hosted by our cardiology team. This year, Dr. Jeffrey Carlson was on double duty as he was interviewed on CBS 5 in the morning then hosted a standing room crowd only lecture at St. Rose Hospital.
And The Beat Goes On…
Driving home more than education and prevention of women’s heart health, the campaign allows us the opportunity to inform our community about St. Rose Hospital’s Cardiac Receiving Center designation. This innovative county-wide program is designed to provide immediate intervention to those patients experiencing heart attacks. Through the 911 Emergency Medical Services (EMS), patients who are suspected of having a heart attack are transported to the closest available Cardiac Receiving Center. St. Rose is one of four hospitals located throughout Alameda County to have met the criteria for this important designation. Cardiologist, Dr. Carlson explains, "To be a Cardiac Receiving Center, St. Rose had to demonstrate that the quality of cardiac care met or exceeded the standards established by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the professional organization responsible for setting the standard for cardiac care". One of those standards is “Door-to-Balloon Time” which indicates the critical time period it takes the interventional team to perform the procedure. According to the ACC guidelines, when a person is having a heart attack, effective treatment should be initiated somewhere between 90 – 120 minutes after arrival at the hospital. Currently St. Rose Hospital averages 71 minutes… one of the lowest treatment times in the county.
So, there is much more to our message than just Red Dresses! However, the message would flatline without the impact of this beautifully designed ad and our women champions. St. Rose Hospital has received numerous Healthcare Marketing Awards with this campaign and its effectiveness has been demonstrated by the tremendous results we have seen from our community.
Know your risk factors for heart disease: High Cholesterol, Smoking, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Physical Inactivity, Diabetes.
We would like to thank the following women who have participated in our previous Power of RED campaigns:
| 2008 | Kala Chandler, MD & daughter Sophie Deborah Gibson Lisa Gonzales Veleska Gutierrez Tanya Ibrahim Kate Kelly Sydnie Kohara Susan Muranishi Rosemary Rhondenbaugh Cara Schott Marcy Straw Faith Tompkins< |
| 2007 | Arnette Asbury Kim Bryant Renel Brook-Moon Senator Ellen Corbett Beth Ellis Joanie Greggains Sydnie Kohara Cole Martin Ann Notarangelo Norma Plummer Marlene Varni Robin Wilma Robin Wright Penn |
| 2006 | Rosie Lee Allen Lisa Chan Sandra Davini Claire Ely Juliette Goodrich Sydnie Kohara Samantha Mohr Vida Parsi, MD Joann Ramorino Barbara Rogers Xiomara Vasquez Kristi Yamaguchi |
| 2005 | Saba Azimi, MD Sara Bungarz Roberta Gonzales Sydnie Kohara Ruby Lopez Malou Nubla Catherine Olivier Jeannette Pavini Judy Pitcher Dr. Brenda Wade |
| 2004 | Mayor Roberta Cooper Senator Liz Figueroa Jennifer Glover-Croghan Monisha Jain Sydnie Kohara Bella Mahoney Shaun Murray Kate Olivier Vecepia Robinson Diane Wagner |