19 NCAA women's college basketball coaches join hands to support women’s heart health

Both on the court and off, cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of women in the United States, taking the lives of more than 440,000 women each year, according to the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. The Association's Go Red for Women^® movement is working to raise awareness, improve education and inspire action to help women better understand and learn how to prevent their number one health threat. For the first time, 19 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's college basketball coaches are rolling up their sleeves and putting on their red dress pins to take a stand in support of women's health through the Hearts on the Court Collective. 

This inaugural year of the Hearts on the Court Collective, led by Louisiana State University women's basketball hall of fame head coach Kim Mulkey, is committed to raising awareness of cardiovascular disease in women while empowering fans, their peers and student athletes to take charge of their cardiovascular health. Because losing even one woman to a disease that is mostly preventable is one woman too many.

Women are often misdiagnosed and undertreated when it comes to cardiovascular disease and there are many reasons why that is so important to recognize. From low representation of women in clinical research to women being less likely to receive lifesaving bystander CPR, major gaps exist. For more than 20 years, the American Heart Association and its Go Red for Women movement have empowered women to listen to their bodies, to seek care when something feels wrong and to advocate for the care they deserve. These influential women's NCAA basketball coaches joining the new Hearts on the Court Collective are helping us to amplify this message with so many more people through their dedication to the women they coach and mentor."

Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, American Heart Association

Throughout the women's college basketball season, the Heart Association's new Collective will launch a series of public service announcements through social media that highlight ways women can be on the offense of heart health through Life's Essential 8™ for Women. These calls to action include:

• Knowing key health numbers including blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar/glucose
• Embracing healthy eating,
• Moving more through physical activity,
• Abstaining from tobacco use and
• Getting quality, healthy sleep.

The Collective will also highlight the importance of women understanding how unique life stages, such as pregnancy and menopause, can affect cardiovascular disease risk.

"We all have women in our lives we can't bear to live without - our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our friends. Women need allies in the fight against a disease that takes so much from them," said Kim Mulkey, women's basketball head coach at Louisiana State University and chair of the Hearts on the Court Collective. "I know firsthand how important heart health is. By coming together to highlight the ways that heart disease can be prevented, we are working to champion women's health and empower the next generation of female athletes and those they love to take charge of their well-being."

The inaugural members of the Hearts on the Court Collective are all head coaches at NCAA women's basketball programs. Along with Mulkey, other members include:

• Katie Abrahamson-Henderson – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
• Courtney Banghart – UNC (University of North Carolina), Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Jennie Baranczyk – University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
• Kim Barnes Arico – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Kenny Brooks – University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
• Kim Caldwell – University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Cori Close – UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), Los Angeles, California
• Nicki Collen – Baylor University, Waco, Texas
• Kristy Curry – University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Kelly Rae Finley – University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
• Lindsay Gottlieb – USC (University of Southern California), Los Angeles, California
• Jacie Hoyt – Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Niele Ivey – University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
• Jan Jensen – University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
• Kevin McGuff – Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
• Molly Miller – Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
• Teri Moren – Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
• Charmin Smith – University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the No. 1 killer of all people in the U.S., including women, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. According to the American Heart Association, approximately 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable. Nearly 45% of women over age 20 are living with some form of the disease, yet only around half of women are aware that this is their greatest health threat. The good news is that the majority of cardiovascular events can be prevented through lifestyle changes and education.

The Association's Go Red for Women movement is committed to addressing awareness and clinical care gaps and meeting the needs of women in every age, stage and season of life as a trusted, relevant source for credible, science-backed health solutions.