Friday is Go Red for Women Day to bring awareness to heart disease in women

PITTSBURGH — Friday February 5 is National Wear Red Day, an effort by the American Heart Association to spread awareness of the number one women’s health threat: heart disease.

You’ll see several Channel 11 anchors and reporters wearing red to show their support. Landmarks and buildings around Pittsburgh will also be lit up red on Friday including the City-County Building, Highmark spire and the Block at Northway on McKnight Road.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease kills one woman every 80 seconds and takes more lives than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease and stroke also impact the lives of 1 in 3 women, and cardiac events are on the rise in young women in their 20s.

You can take action throughout the month of February. Here are some ways how:

• Making a donation to the American Heart Association at WearRedDay.org. Big Lots Foundation will match online donations on National Wear Red Day, up to $333,000.
• Visiting CVS Health and making a donation at the register until March 6. Also, donations can be made online at www.CVSHealth.com/GoRed.
• Signing up to participate in the lifesaving clinical trial research through the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement and Verily’s Project Baseline: Research Goes Red initiative.
• Joining the conversation by using #WearRedAndGive and #PghGoesRed on social media. Follow us @AHAPennsylvania

Local sponsors of Go Red for Women are UPMC, UPMC Magee Womens Hospital, UPMC Health Plan and FedEx Ground. You can learn more at GoRedforWomen.org.