Trenton, NJ - The Women's Heart Foundation (WHF) will be hosting its annual RED DRESS Luncheon on Saturday, February 13 from 12 noon to 3:30 pm at the Trenton Marriott Hotel at Lafayette Yard. Pre-event, participants will be able to visit exhibits and have their blood pressure taken, starting at 11:30 A.M. in the hotel lobby. This is a new date for the luncheon and program, which was rescheduled due to the snow storm. Mrs. Christiana Foglio-Palmer, First Lady of Trenton, will serve as honorary chairwoman of the event. Ms. Janice Kovach, Director of the Division on Women, will be Mistress of Ceremonies.

The Red Dress Luncheon commemorates National Women's Heart Week Feb 1-7 and serves as a platform to educate the public about heart disease in women during February -- National Heart Month. The event theme "Get Your Red On" brings attention to the heart disease awareness movement with a local event that features a Red Dress Trunk Show with dazzling red fashions by Lord and Taylor, a heart-healthy luncheon, testimonials, vendors and updates on women and heart disease. John E. Strobeck, MD, PhD, FACC will deliver the keynote presentation, introducing a new non-invasive diagnostic test called The Multifunction Cardiogram. The test can accurately diagnose ischemic changes in the heart without risk and without gender bias. Advance Cardiac Scan, Inc. will be an exhibitor at the event and will have the new Multifunction Cardiogram machine on display. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions posed by participants and for interviews by the media.

During the event, the Women's Heart Foundation will conduct an awards ceremony to recognize outstanding leaders with its Women's Heart Advocate award. Selected by the Foundation to receive an award are:

• Joseph T. Shen, MD, - Leader in Science and Medicine for his invention of the Multifunction Cardiogram and discovery of an algorithm formula that exists in EKG findings on patients undergoing revasularization procedures
• The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey - Healthcare Provider for providing successive grants to the WHF in support of its Teen Esteem Health and Fitness program at Trenton Central High School
• Ebay and Giving Works Community - Corporate Leadership for coordinating $27,000 in donations to the WHF in 2009
• Robin Heston - Volunteer of the Year for coordinating 'RUN FOR MOM' for the past 6 years, recruiting volunteers.

Heart disease survivors Marianne DiMola, Terri Barlow and Marcia Davis will "Walk the Red Carpet" to share their stories and experiences, promoting greater awareness of early warning signs and knowledge of how each woman must advocate for herself to receive proper care. Three Teen Esteem students hand-picked by their teacher will receive a $25 gift certificate and an award letter for achieving their goals and for submitting winning essays. Winners include sophomore students Samantha Bonfonti and Tymya Moore, and senior student Dorothy Balmyre. "I am so proud to be a part of the Red Dress event", said Ms. Foglio-Palmer."As women we all need to raise our voices in order to draw attention to heart health," she said.

The WHF will officially launch its HeartFitKid project at the culmination of the event, unveiling a new logo. A new website will also be launched later in the month with a url by the same name: www.HeartFitKid.org. The website will post a schedule of training seminars for school nurses and educators for implementing wellness and healthy lifestyle intervention projects within schools., based on WHF's knowledge gained implementing its Teen Esteem program and working with the Trenton Board of Education for the past 6 years. "It is no secret that we have a childhood obesity epidemic in America", said Bonnie Arkus, WHF founder and executive director. "For the first time in history, we are seeing diseases like adult-onset diabetes in our kids. Cardiovascular disease is not far behind. We must be more diligent in monitoring this epidemic. The HeartFitKid project is a methodical approach to reversing this disturbing health trend."

There will be giveaways and door prizes. Gift sponsors include Lord and Taylor, Clinique, Pom Wonderful, Harris Tea, Health Magazine, Sports Authority, Good Earth Coffee, the New Jersey Federation of Women's Clubs-GFWC, Barry's Bakery, Mrs. Dash, Trenton Thunder, Earthbound Organic and Ronzoni Healthy Harvest. Event sponsors include Roma Bank and Foglio and Associates, as well as individual contributors. Media partners include The Times, the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs, Silk Purse Women, Staffing Now, Inc., Mercer County Woman and The HEART TRUTH -Wear Red for Women events page. To register for the Red Dress Luncheon, go to www.womensheart.org home page and click on "online registration". Cost is $34 per person; $15 for children 16 and under. Registration forms may also be downloaded and mailed with payment to WHF, P.O. Box 7827, West Trenton, NJ 08628. For more information, contact the Women's Heart Foundation at 609-771-9600 or email info@womensheart.org.



_{Note: The red dress is a trademark of the DHHS to signify heart disease in women.}

### _{The mission of the Women's Heart Foundation is to improve survival and quality of life. WHF is the only nonprofit heart organization implementing heart disease prevention projects. Programs include Teen Esteem©, Women's Heart Week, Medication Safety and The Gender Care Initiative®. WHF raises awareness of how heart disease affects women differently with e-newsletters and informational web pages derived from publications of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other experts. WHF offers free continuing education credits for health professionals with online seminars. The women and heart disease global awareness movement was started in 1986 due chiefly to the actions taken by WHF founder, registered nurse Bonnie Arkus who lost her own mother to heart disease at the age of 60 as a result of a failed open heart bypass surgery operation. Bonnie traveled to Washington in 1988 and met with officials and lobbyists to advocate for improved care of women. She interviewed heart surgeons and began a letter-writing crusade to enlist the support of pharmaceutical companies and other major corporations. To draw attention to the need for more research and the need to include women in studies, she met with the National Organization for Women headquartered in Washington DC and started the southern Mercer County chapter of the American Heart Association. She also spoke with NIH officials about her concerns. Finally, in 1989, she began a new charity - the Women's Heart Foundation - and acquired a 501c3 designation in 1992. President George Bush Sr. recognized Bonnie as a member of the Points of Light Foundation for her work of drawing attention to women and heart disease and the disparities in women's care.}

-- end --