Hirono, Murkowski, Women Senators Recognize American Heart Month

Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) led the Senate’s annual resolution recognizing February as American Heart Month.

“Each February, the women of the Senate come together to recognize American Heart Month and raise awareness of heart disease,” Senator Hirono said. “Heart disease impacts millions of families each year, and this resolution continues our bipartisan commitment to supporting advances in research, prevention, and treatment.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death of woman in the United States,” Senator Murkowski said. “And while we’ve made good progress through research and advocacy, there is still so much we have to learn about our cardiovascular health. It is imperative that we continue to be proactive in providing our healthcare professionals, our families, and women everywhere with the education and tools they need to confront heart disease head on. I am proud to promote women’s heart health and I am committed to supporting efforts by our hospitals, our communities, and organizations such as the American Heart Association to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women.”

“The association thanks Senators Hirono and Murkowski, as well as their Senate colleagues, for this resolution and for their ongoing support of American Heart Month,” Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association said.  “Cardiovascular disease if left unchecked, is on course to place a crushing economic and health burden on the nation’s financial and health care systems in the years to come. Building awareness this month and every month is key in the fight against our country’s most costly and deadly killer.”

The resolution is also cosponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Click here to read the full resolution, which emphasizes that heart disease affects individuals of every age and supports research and advocacy to fight heart disease and stroke. The resolution also supports National Wear Red Day, which has brought attention to the importance of women’s heart health since 2003. The resolution calls special attention to how cardiovascular disease impacts minority women and calls particular attention to the serious health risks it presents among Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other indigenous populations.