WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease Announces Class of 2015 WomenHeart Champions

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is pleased to announce that 60 women living with heart disease graduated from the fall 2015 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to become WomenHeart Champions – a national volunteer corps of women heart disease survivors trained as community educators, advocates and spokespersons to lead the fight against the leading cause of death in women – heart disease. The work of these women will change lives and communities by empowering women to take charge of their heart health.

The fall 2015 WomenHeart Champions join 690 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. Sixteen of the new WomenHeart Champions graduated from the Science & Leadership Symposium as Community Educators, and 44 graduated as Support Network Coordinators to lead a monthly WomenHeart Support Network in their community. WomenHeart's Support Network Coordinator program is the nation's only peer-led support program for women living with heart disease. 37 of the new WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators will lead their Support Network at a WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance member hospital and 7 will co-coordinate an existing WomenHeart Support Network.

The WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance is a network of hospitals that have a partnership with WomenHeart to advance women's heart health in their community and lead efforts to save women's lives. It was developed by WomenHeart in 2012 to ensure that women heart disease patients in every community have access to information, education and patient support services to live well and thrive even with heart disease.

"There are 8 million women living with heart disease in the U.S., and an overwhelming 43 million women are at risk. WomenHeart Champions who are Support Network Coordinators and Community Educators offer peer-to-peer support and vital heart health information to other women living with and at risk for heart disease," said Mary McGowan, CEO, WomenHeart. "I look forward to working with the fall 2015 WomenHeart Champions and Support Network Coordinators to increase our outreach to eradicate heart disease in women in every community," she added.

The fall 2015 WomenHeart Champions hail from 28 states and range from 23 to 79 years in age. 25% are African-American; and 10% are Latina, Native American, or belong to another minority ethnic group.

The fall 2015 WomenHeart Champions are:

Support Network Coordinators                                         

Olivia Rodriguez, Santa Barbara, CA
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Santa Barbara, CA

Elizabeth Wieland, Cascade, CO
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Southern Colorado

Susan Nichols, Hurst, TX
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Mid Cities Texas

Georgia Leventis-Molina, Kalamazoo, MI
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Greater Kalamazoo West
Kalamazoo, MI

Michele Buc, Memphis, TN
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Memphis, TN

Cecilia Acquaah-Harrison, Frederick, MD
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Frederick County, MD

Maggie Anderson, Boise, ID
Co-Coordinator, WomenHeart of Boise, ID

Kristina Reu, Santa Clara, CA
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA

Audrene Rossi, Cupertino, CA
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA

Mary Anne Norling, Sunnyvale, CA
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA

Tracy Solomon-Clark, Gardena, CA
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Betty Denny, Encinitas, CA
Scripps Cardiovascular Care, La Jolla, CA

Dale Stewart, Lafayette, LA
The Women and Children's Hospital of Acadiana, Lafayette, LA

Cindy Hillman, Lenexa, KS
Muriel I. Kauffman Women's Heart Center at St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Center, St. Louis, MO

Celestial Sweet, Ada, OK
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, Ada, OK

Kelsey Gumm, Greenfield, WI
Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL

Gerri Chambers, Stonewall, OK
Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, Ada, OK

Rosemary Brandemuehl, Milwaukee, WI
Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Dawn Koceja, Brookfield, WI
Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Lori Oliver, Louisville, KY
Norton Women's Heart Center, Louisville, KY

Dianne Geeting, Fort Wayne, IN
Parkview Heart Institute, Fort Wayne, IN

Jacqueline McNeal, Detroit, MI
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI

Phylis Jackson, Detroit, MI
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI

Murem Sharpe, Savannah, GA
St. Joseph's/Candler Health System, Savannah, GA

Delores Rutledge, Stone Mountain, GA
Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Mary Theresa Johnson, Atlanta, GA
Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA

Dianne Tidy, North East, MD
The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Robin Olson, Downingtown, PA
The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Delaney McGowan, Washington, DC
Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC

Jill Allen, Charleston, WV
Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, WV

Barbara Ghyll, North Baldwin, NY
Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY

Susan Kayser, Wantagh, NY
Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY

Lynn Niblick, Eastampton, NJ
Virtua Health System, NJ

Ingrid Loeuis, Chatham, NJ
Atlantic Health System-Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ

Janice Recca, Long Valley, NJ
Atlantic Health System-Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ

Roxanne Watson, Nanuet, NY
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Coral Robinson, RN, Bronx, NY
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Patricia Srenaski, Woodbury, CT
The Hospital of Central Connecticut, New Britain, CT

Joyce Lenard, Syosset, NY
North Shore LIJ-Katz Institute for Women's Health, New Hyde Park, NY

Mary Rzepski, New York, NY
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY

Martha Jumpiere, Whitsett, NC
Cone Health, Greensboro, NC

Tammy Hardin, Greensboro, NC
Cone Health, Greensboro, NC

Carman Jones, Durham, NC
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Martha Sue Compagna, Columbia, SC
Providence Hospitals, Columbia, SC

Community Educators  

Leslie Morgan, Seaside, OR
Columbia Memorial Hospital

Barbara Fleeman, Beverly Hills, CA
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Janet Lutz, Charleston, WV
Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, WV

Kathleen Claussen, Olathe, KS
Muriel I. Kauffman Women's Heart Center at St. Luke's Mid-America Heart Center, St. Louis, MO

Pamela Guillory, Houston, TX
Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX

Esmeralda Miranda, Kingwood, TX
Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX

Kimberly Marotta, Durham, NC
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Allison Blust, Fort Wayne, IN
Parkview Heart Institute, Fort Wayne, IN

Judy Parker, Miami, FL
Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami, FL

Loren Welch, Miami, FL
Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, Miami, FL

Cheryl Green, Pemberton, NJ
Virtua Health System, NJ

Joan Wisniewski, Monroeville, NJ
Virtua Health System, NJ

Clare Gorman, Flanders, NJ
Atlantic Health System-Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, NJ

Jan Yocom, Spring Hills, KS
University of Kansas Hospital-Westwood Campus, Westwood, KS

Janet Yagle, New York, NY
Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY

Denise Lear, Chicago, IL
Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL

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 voice of heart disease and women in their communities and on a national scale.

The WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium is a four day national conference led by Mayo Clinic's leading cardiologists and other medical and health experts, and experts in policy, advocacy, communications, and Support Network development and implementation. In addition to being trained as community educators, advocates, spokespersons, and Support Network Coordinators, participants 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.

The fall 2015 WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium is sponsored by Boston Scientific, Sanofi-Regeneron, Gilead, Novartis and Abbott Vascular.  

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's first and still 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.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151012/276027

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Related Links

http://www.womenheart.org