Think heart disease can’t affect you? Think again. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. In fact, one in four American women dies of heart disease every year. In 2006 in Effingham County alone, 53 women died of cardiovascular disease.

In observance of National Heart Month, the Effingham County Health Department will hold a heart disease educational event on Feb. 13 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Health Department located at 802 Highway 119 South in Springfield. The event will include an educational presentation, blood pressure checks, body mass index screens and nutritional counseling.

“Many women don’t realize that they are at an increased risk for developing heart disease,” said Cristina Gibson, director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Coastal Health District. “We hope that providing educational information and health screens will help the women of Effingham County have a better understanding of heart disease and how it can be prevented.”

The sessions are part of the Heart Truth campaign sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the campaign is to make women more aware of the dangers of heart disease. The Heart Truth campaign warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against risk factors.

“While it’s true that women over 40 are more likely to develop heart disease, women of all ages can take steps to reduce their risk of getting heart disease,” said Gibson. “We invite the women of Effingham County to join us to find out how they can lower their risk.”

The Effingham County Health Department Heart Truth event is free and open to the public.