‘Heart Matters’ when it comes to women and their health; program open to public

INDIANAPOLIS – With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s clear the life of a mother is anything but a holiday: Taking care of kids, running errands, working straight through the day and skipping lunch. Women often are so busy taking care of others they forget to care for themselves, perhaps ignoring or being unaware of signs of their risk of heart disease.

That’s why the St. Francis Heart Center is offering "Heart Matters: What Every Woman Should Know About Heart Disease." The program, which is free to the public, is 6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 8.

Cardiologist Babu Doddapaneni, M.D., of the Indiana Heart Physicians is the featured presenter. He will discuss risk factors and heart disease, how women’s symptoms for a heart attack differ from men’s, less-invasive surgical procedures that benefit women, blood pressure and cholesterol, and how diet, weight and physical activity are important in preventing heart disease.

The program is at the Heart Center’s community center on the St. Francis Hospital-Indianapolis campus, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

The program is free; registration is requested. To register online go to http://www.stfrancishospitals.org/Heart/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=38 or call (317) 782-4422.

More information about the St. Francis Heart Center is at http://www.stfrancishospitals.org/Heart.