WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease Announces Class of 2013 WomenHeart Champions

23 women heart disease survivors become community educators, support network leaders for other women living with heart disease – leading cause of death in women

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is pleased to announce that 23 women living with heart disease have graduated from the 2013 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to become WomenHeart Champions – a national volunteer corps of women heart disease survivors trained to lead the fight in their communities against the leading cause of death in women – heart disease.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131016/DC99007)

The 2013 WomenHeart Champions join 628 inspirational women from around the country honored with the WomenHeart Champion title to become the "boots on the ground" in the fight against heart disease. The women become volunteer community educators, national spokespersons and Support Network Coordinators – leading the nation's only peer led support program for women living with heart disease.   

"Heart disease can be a very emotionally and physically isolating condition for women. WomenHeart Champions and the Support Networks that they build enable women to have the peer-to-peer support they need to make the lifestyle changes necessary to live a heart healthy life," said Lisa M. Tate, Chief Executive Officer of WomenHeart. "The Class of 2013 will continue to advance the understanding of women's heart health in their communities and on the national stage and save women's lives, one heart at a time," added Tate.  

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and more women than men have died from heart disease every year since 1984. Each year since 2002, women heart disease survivors from around the country have taken part in a nationally competitive application process to be selected to attend WomenHeart's annual Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic to become the the voice of heart disease and women in their communities.

WomenHeart Champions lead the only national community based, patient led network of support groups for women living with heart disease. In addition, WomenHeart advocates for prevention, early and accurate diagnosis, and proper treatment of heart disease.  

The WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium is comprised of four days of workshops by Mayo Clinic's leading cardiologists and other medical and health experts, and experts in policy, advocacy, communications and support network development and implementation. Participants are trained to be community educators, national spokespersons and WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators for other women living with heart disease. In addition, they receive training in the areas of diagnostics, technology, and treatment, including drug and device protocols, lifestyle and food management, and meditative techniques to reduce stress.

Class of 2013 WomenHeart Champions

Michele Abrahams*
Astoria, OR

Herminia Batlle*
Miami, FL

Edie Marie Battaglia*
Kansas City, MO

Leslie Bayer 
Kansas City, MO

Dawn Blatt 
Miller Place, NY

Alethea Chapman 
Covington, GA

Nicolette Cross*
Bakersfield, CA

Ruth Diener Platt 
Brooklyn, NY

Beatriz Fonseca* 
Palmetto Bay, FL

Christine Gallagher*
Lexington, SC

Susan Garrison
Palatine, IL

Debora Grandison
Ballwin, MO

Beverly Granger*
Glen Cove, NY                       

Kristen Hart
Olathe, KS

A.Kay Hodges*
Terry, MS                                                      

Beverly Hurt*
Louisville, KY

Judy Manus
Lansing, MI

Amy Maugan*
Saugus, CA

Johnnie Patton*
Jackson, MS                                

Vanessa Rogers* 
Louisville, KY

Sarah Siemers
Manhasset, NY                                                                

Anne Stockton* 
Powell, OH

Shana Williams
Chicago, IL

*These 2013 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium graduates will host their WomenHeart Support Network at a hospital in their community which is a member of WomenHeart's National Hospital Alliance – a network of hospitals who have a partnership with WomenHeart to advance women's heart health in their community and lead efforts to save women's lives one heart at a time.

The 2013 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium is sponsored by the Medtronic Foundation, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Gilead, Astellas Pharma, AstraZeneca, Novartis, St. Jude Medical Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Genentech.

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only patient-centered organization serving the 42 million American women living with or at risk for heart disease – the leading cause of death in women. WomenHeart is solely devoted to advancing women's heart health through advocacy, community education, and the nation's only patient support network for women living with heart disease. WomenHeart is both a coalition and a community of thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, physicians, and health advocates, all committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives. Visit us at www.womenheart.org to receive free online heart health information.

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease