It’s time to… Read My Lips

This year, will you join us and #ReadMyLips?

Read My Lips – LIPids, that is! Did you know that lipid panel testing is the most comprehensive way to determine high cholesterol?

The Society for Women’s Health Research’s (SWHR) Read My Lips campaign aims to emphasize the importance of women knowing their risk factors for heart disease and understanding and the critical role cholesterol screening – and specifically, lipid panel testing – for women’s heart health.

Policymakers and clinicians alike have important roles to play in improving women’s heart health across the lifespan, by increasing heart health awareness, improving education, and ensuring access to important screenings and lipid panel testing.

Raise Your Voice, Read My Lips!

It’s well past time to speak up for women’s heart health, says Society for Women’s Health Research President & CEO Kathryn Schubert.

We asked partners to join us in sharing the important message of speaking up for women’s heart health and knowing your risk factors for heart disease and high cholesterol. Thank you to everyone who has joined our call to Read My Lips!

Watch the Read My Lips Partner Videos

Thank you to our video partners: Alliance for Aging Research; Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention (AWHP); American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; Association of Black Cardiologists; Black Heart Association; Caregiver Action Network; Generations United; HealthyWomen; Immune Deficiency Foundation; MANA; National Association of Hispanic Nurses; National Caucus and Center on Black Aging; National Grange; National Health Council; National Hispanic Health Foundation; National Kidney Foundation; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH); The Balm In Gilead, Inc.; UnidosUS.

Interested in submitting your own Read My Lips video or looking for other ways to join the campaign? Reach out to [email protected].

Be an Advocate for Heart Health!

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and hypertension, is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. When it comes to heart health, there is evidence of significant impacts on women. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), women accounted for 48.1% of reported deaths due to cardiovascular disease in 2019.

By advocating for increased research focused on women’s cardiovascular health and for tailored prevention and treatment strategies, we can promote more effective, equitable care and, ultimately, improve health outcomes for women at every stage of their lives.

This toolkit is intended to serve as a guide to support advocacy efforts around CVD and spotlight specific actions you can take now to advocate for women’s heart health.

Download The Advocacy Toolkit

What’s Happening in Heart Health Policy?

Tackling heart disease requires a systems-level approach – from education and awareness to federal policies that aim to improve health and quality of life outcomes across the lifespan. Below are some policy resources that are helping to elevate the topic of heart disease:

Congressional Resolution Designating September 2024 as “National Cholesterol Education Month” and September 30, 2024, as LDL-C Awareness Day: Senate Version
Congressional Resolution Designating September 2023 as “National Cholesterol Education Month” and September 30, 2023, as LDL-C Awareness Day: House Version | Senate Version
SWHR, American Heart Association, and Partners Thank Sponsors of National Cholesterol Education Month Resolution: House Letter | Senate Letter
A Lifespan Approach to Addressing Ischemic Heart Disease in Women Call to Action
Factors Impacting Women’s Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan Fact Sheet

SWHR Policy Agenda: Improving Women’s Heart Health Outcomes Across the Lifespan

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States, resulting in one in every five deaths. In 2021, about 695,000 people died of heart disease. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated what was already considered a public health crisis of heart health.

Follow SWHR on social media on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Tag SWHR on social media and use the #ReadMyLips hashtag on your posts so we can see them and repost!

Share These Posts and #ReadMyLips!

#ReadMyLips: Over the last two decades, there has been an increase in heart attacks among women ages 35 to 45. This #AmericanHeartMonth, check out how our partner, Society for Women’s Health Research [tag], is encouraging women to learn more about the risk factors for heart disease and access tools and resources to help support #hearthealth: swhr.org/read-my-lips

#ReadMyLips: The time is now to get serious about addressing women’s #hearthealth! Check out how our partner, @SWHR, is encouraging women to take charge of their heart health and engage #policymakers in the discussion: https://swhr.org/read-my-lips/

Are you ready to Read My Lips? Use this printable sign to join the women’s heart health conversation, Take a picture with the sign and post to social media with the hashtag #ReadMyLips. Hang the sign in your office and start a conversation with others about women’s heart health. Let’s spread the word!

Looking for more messages? Share the #ReadMyLips message on social media by using the Read My Lips General Partner Toolkit and the Read My Lips Policy Partner Toolkit.

Do You a Have Heart Health Story?

SWHR wants to Read Your Lips! Share you heart health or cholesterol story with SWHR and you could help us inform future materials and programming.

Share Your Story

Join us as #SWHRtalksHeart!

Societal Influences’ Impact on Cardiovascular Disease in Women

In this webinar, speakers discuss how social determinants of health and other factors, such as gender, race, and stigma, might affect an individual’s access to cardiovascular disease screening and diagnosis.

Watch The Recording

Talking All Things Women’s Heart Health

SWHR hosts a “fireside chat” style conversation with Dr. Stephanie Coulter of The Texas Heart Institute about what women should be doing at each age when it comes to managing their heart health

Watch The Recording

Getting at the Heart of Needs in Women’s Heart Health

During American Heart Month, SWHR hosted a webinar reviewing the burden of heart disease in women in the United States and launching SWHR’s Heart Health Policy Agenda.

Watch The Recording