Longview Regional Medical Center today announced a new monthly program, offering free seminars, health fairs, educational programs and interactive events that will focus on women.  Healthy Woman, which will launch in August, offers programs are dedicated to improving the emotional, physical and fiscal well-being of both women and the families for which they care.

Healthy Woman will kick-off on August 14, 2008 at Maude Cobb Convention Center. A FREE Health Fair and EXPO, including, vendor booths, health screenings, heavy hors 'dourves, music, and door prizes will take place from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., followed by the Main Event at 6:30 p.m., which includes a style show, dessert & coffee, silent auction, door prizes and features nationally-noted motivational speaker, Dr. Suzanne Metzger, who will address women’s health and life balance issues.

The cost for Health Fair and EXPO are free; however, the Main Event (style show, dessert & coffee, silent auction and national speaker) is $10.00 per person (tickets available for purchase).

For more than 15 years, Dr. Suzanne Metzger has captivated audiences with her humorous, yet provocative speeches. She will share the importance of having the right attitude and “soft skills” tools to build a healthy and happy approach to life. As an 11-year breast cancer survivor, Dr. Metzger has been through a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy, and is certainly aware of what it takes to survive. Dr. Metzger has authored Learning Through Living…Some Assembly Required, and co-authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to – Living with Breast Cancer. She knows the power and importance that the right attitude can make on any situation.

Women, who make between 80 and 90 percent of all healthcare decisions, often balance careers, primary and secondary families, issues with parents, and civic work. Healthy Woman was created by women for women to provide up-to-date healthcare information for their entire family. The program’s mission is to empower women of and the surrounding communities with the knowledge and confidence to make informed healthcare and well-being decisions for themselves and their loved ones.

The monthly Healthy Woman presentations will cover physical and emotional healthcare, as well as financial well-being and spiritual development. Healthcare topics will include pertinent information on heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, menopause, nutrition, osteoporosis, stress management and life balance issues. (See Community Programs/Classes and Events/Healthy Woman for a list of the upcoming seminars, which begin in September).

“There is an abundance of new research that shows that a woman’s body is not simply a smaller version of a man’s,” said Jim Kendrick, Chief Executive Officer of Longview Regional Medical Center. “This research is increasingly important both in recognizing and treating women’s illnesses and diseases.”  

In the area of heart disease alone there are significant differences.  Women’s symptoms are generally not the same as those of men and, according to the American Heart Association, every year since 1984 more American women than men have died of cardiovascular disease.  Recent surveys show that most women do not know that it is one of the top killers of women.

Additionally, a recent survey conducted in , revealed that 80 percent of women surveyed were at risk for their first heart attack, but only 29 percent of them realized it.

 “We want the women of and the surrounding communities to understand those differences and be to make informed decisions about their healthcare, as well as that of their families,” said Cheryl Davis, Healthy Woman Coordinator for Longview Regional. A woman’s advisory council of 13 local business women has been selected to assist the hospital in identifying those areas in which the women in our community are interested.

For more information about Healthy Woman, the free health fair or to purchase tickets to the main event, visit www.longviewregional.com. 

Tickets for the Main Event are available for purchase at the Longview Regional Business Office, located at 448 E. Loop 281.  Tickets are $10.00 each or a reserved table of 8 for $65.00 (cash, check or credit card accepted). 

Seating is limited for the main event at 6: 30 p.m. (style show, dessert & coffee, silent auction and national speaker), so purchase your tickets soon!!