Bunker Hill Community College Celebrates “Wear Red Day.”
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bunker Hill Community College is striking back – preemptively – against women’s cardiovascular disease. BHCC held a series of events on National Wear Red Day – Friday, February 6th – to raise awareness that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Stickers with the red-dress motif – national symbol of this health campaign – were handed out to the entire College community, many of whom also sported red shirts, ties, jackets, and blouses as a sign of solidarity in the fight for women’s heart health.
BHCC organized a series of events throughout the day, including: free blood pressure screening offered by nursing faculty; distributing informational materials on the steps women can take to promote heart health; and organizing a display of facts and images on female cardiovascular disease in the College’s Main Lobby. Throughout the day, several hundred people filtered into the display areas to learn more about the heart health campaign.
Women over 65 are at particularly high risk of a heart attack, which prompted BHCC to reach out to the seniors’ community of Greater Boston. A group of senior women from Jamaica Plains were invited to a sit-down lunch in the College’s art gallery, and treated to a variety of hands-on artistic activities with a heart motif. The seniors crafted valentine cards and designed artwork for a poster on National Heart Day that will remain on display throughout the month of February.
Photos from this event are available. Please contact
Art Gallery Director Laura Montgomery
(lmontgomery@bhcc.mass.edu; 617 228 2093)
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).