Illinois legislators wear red to spread awareness of cardiovascular disease

State Senator Mattie Hunter, clad in a striking scarlet dress, participated in the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women demonstration at the Illinois State Capitol yesterday. All state legislators and statewide elected officials were asked by the Conference of Women Legislators (which Hunter is a proud member of) to don red as part of an annual Statehouse event to spread awareness of heart disease, the number one killer of both men and women in Illinois.

“It was disheartening, to say the least, to be reminded today of the fact that per the American Heart Association, most women are unaware that heart disease is their number one potential health threat and killer,” said Hunter. “I’m happy to be involved and do my part to spread awareness.”

Senate Majority Caucus Whip Hunter was also adamant, “As a proud black female, it is unsettling that we as a community are particularly oblivious to this issue and thus not empowered to take charge of our health. Heart disease claims the lives of more than 20,000 black women annually, but only 36 percent of African American women know that this poses their greatest health risk; and only 52 percent recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack. This is an absolute shame and something we have to turn around, which is why I’m ‘going red’.”

Go Red For Women is the American Heart Association’s platform for educating women on their risk factors of heart disease. Over the last ten years, more than 600,000 lives have been saved because of Go Red. Throughout the last ten years, Go Red For Women has funded gender-specific research studies showing women’s responses to treatments and medications and has published women-specific guidelines on treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

To learn more about Go Red For Women, visit www.goredforwomen.org.

About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.

State Senator Mattie Hunter (D - Chicago) sat in the chamber of the Illinois House of Representatives yesterday alongside her fellow legislators taking in Governor Quinn’s State of the State Address.

There were key issues Illinois’ chief executive touched upon in his message that particularly commanded Majority Caucus Whip Hunter’s attention. Per Hunter, “As a longtime advocate for the poor, the governor’s mention of Illinois’ poverty crisis was something that caught my eye. However, we’ve got to do a lot more than just talk about it – we have to take action.”

Hunter took great note of Governor Quinn’s treatment in his address of the current issues of concealed carry and banning assault weapons in Illinois.

“It was nice to hear Governor Quinn elaborate on these important topics that are going to provide us some of greatest challenges this legislative session,” said Hunter. “Being one of the first legislators to host a town hall on concealed carry and assault weapons in order to make the public’s voice on these subjects heard, I recognize the gravity of these issues and am serious about making sure the General Assembly does what’s best for Illinois citizens.”

Also, in light of the pressing issue of gun violence, particularly rampant throughout the 3rd district the senator represents, the governor’s remarks on the recently fallen 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton struck a chord with Hunter.

“I feel the governor’s mentioning of my constituent Hadiya in his speech was a great, very necessary gesture,” Hunter was adamant. “Unfortunately, it has taken the loss of this promising young lady to finally get the state to pay attention to the violence epidemic in my district I have been fighting to turn around. This is nothing new. There have already been too many Hadiyas. This is just what the media has capitalized on and the vehicle that’s been used to bring this problem to the forefront. However, now that this problem is finally getting the respect it deserves, change can begin and the death of this child whose funeral I’m attending Saturday will not be in vain.”

Senator Hunter hosted a concealed carry townhall at the Illinois Institute of Technology on Feb. 2 along with other legislators of the third district. To watch the video of the townhall click this link: http://new.livestream.com/blueroomstream.