Tickets still available for Friday’s Red Dress Luncheon

WILMINGTON, NC – The New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation will host the sixth annual Red Dress Luncheon and Fashion Show on Friday, February 4 at 11:30 a.m. to support the NHRMC Heart Center’s efforts to prevent the development of heart disease in women in our community. The event will be held at the Hilton Riverside. Chelsea Altman, Miss USA 2005, will serve as the emcee. Reservations are required and can be made online at www.nhrmcfoundation.org.

The Red Dress Luncheon will help raise awareness of how heart disease affects our neighbors, friends, mothers, sisters and daughters. Each year, area women gather to share stories and see those who have been affected by heart disease model fashion from area stores. Money raised from the event helps to support education and screenings for women in the community.

Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death among women. Each year, nearly half a million women die from cardiovascular diseases, which is more than the next six causes of death combined. One in three women will die of heart disease or stroke. With such alarming statistics, it is critical for women to know the risks and symptoms of heart disease and to begin developing behaviors early on that will help them keep their hearts healthier.

“Women can’t afford to wait until symptoms appear. We need to empower them with knowledge very early on so they can protect themselves against this deadly disease,” said Aline Lasseter, executive director of the NHRMC Foundation. “Our goal in hosting this Red Dress event is to generate education and awareness about heart disease in hopes of preventing it. All of the funds that are raised will be used specifically within our community.”

New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Heart Center is home to 29 cardiologists and 3 cardiovascular surgeons who perform more than 550 surgical procedures and 12,000 diagnostic procedures each year. The NHRMC Heart Center is the only hospital in southeastern North Carolina to perform heart surgery is among the state’s leaders in cardiac care. For more information on the services provided at the NHRMC Heart Center, visit www.nhrmc.org/heart.