People Standing
MemorialCare employees showing up in red and love, waving in heart sunglasses and red masks, spreading awareness and inspiring action for a brighter future.

On Friday Feb. 3 – National Wear Red Day – employees at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center came together to raise awareness for women’s heart disease and support empowering women to make informed decisions about their heart health. While men show traditional symptoms of heart disease, such as chest pains or heart palpations, women may show additional symptoms, such as fatigue, soreness in arms or shoulders and back pain.

“Women often overlook their heart health, since we often are so busy juggling careers, families and just life in general,” says Ida Merline, vice president, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center. “It was important for our team at the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute to take a stand today, together, to raise awareness of women’s heart health. We don’t always catch the signs or minimize how we feel, and we want women to take action and be proactive about their own health.”

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in American Women. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease accounts for one in every five female deaths. Although there has been increased awareness of heart disease, only about half of women (56%) know that heart disease is their No. 1 killer.

The MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center provides comprehensive cardiovascular services for the prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of heart disease for Long Beach residents. The Institute specializes in minimally invasive heart procedures that provide the benefit of fewer complications, less scarring, greater comfort, and faster recoveries.