May is National Women's Healthcare Month, and the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day and the start of National Women's Health Week - an educational initiative by the US DHHS to remind women to make health a priority. This is a critical time for women's health as more young women's lives are being affected by heart disease. According to a recent journal article (JACC Nov13,'07), there has been a concealed leveling of mortality rates in heart disease since 1980. Most disconcerting is that the study found the rates of death in younger women under age 45 are increasing. The death rate for women  ages 35-44 rose between 1997 and 2002 by an average of 1.3% per year, which may serve as a sentinel event attributed to the increase in the number of young adults with diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, abnormal blood lipid levels, and hypertension. To download the entire study, go to Coronary Heart Disease Concealed Mortality Rates in Younger Adults. The Authors Dr. Earl S. Ford of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and Dr. Simon Capewell of the UK stated they had great difficulty accessing the data, which also needs to be addressed to achieve greater awareness of the magnitude of the problem. The growing number of risk factors in children and young adults and the resultant increased number of deaths should be top-of-mind for our political leaders with an action plan set forth by our prospective future president, but why is this not even given mention? The Women's Heart Foundation will use the Mother's Day RUN FOR MOM as a forum to bring attention to this critical health issue and advocate for change. If you are a concerned parent and member of your local parent-teacher organization, the Women's Heart Foundation wants to hear from you. We cannot implement our heart disease prevention programs in schools without your help. Prevention works. Please send an email to bonnie@womensheart.org. Take care of your heart.