heart month

The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is excited to announce that Kaiser Permanente, has teamed up with the Greater Washington Region division to advance a shared goal to help

community members live longer, healthier lives free of heart disease and stroke. Kaiser Permanente has joined as a three-year Healthy for Good sponsor in the Greater Washington region and a founding member of the DC Go Red for Women campaign. Together Kaiser Permanente and the AHA also will launch a series of digital conversations to provide education on critical health priorities.

As part of this sponsorship, Ruth Williams-Brinkley, regional president of Kaiser Permanente, will lead the 2021 efforts for DC Go Red, and will chair the 2022 Greater Washington Region Heart Walk. The Association also recently announced that Jill Feldon, vice president of Strategy Communication for Kaiser Permanente, will chair the 2021 Greater Washington Region Heart Walk.

“It is through powerful commitments like this that we can drive sustainable change across our region,” said Soula Antoniou, Executive Director of the American Heart Association. “Over the next three years Kaiser Permanente will help us to engage the Greater Washington community in new and profound ways that lead to improved physical health and mental well-being. Through their support of the inaugural DC Go Red for Women campaign, they are helping to ensure that all women have an opportunity for a healthy, positive future for themselves and those they care for.”

February is American Heart Month and underscores the importance of the campaign’s goal to build awareness that cardiovascular disease is the leading health threat and that people should take action to lower their risk – particularly women. As the first DC Go Red for Women campaign chair, Williams-Brinkley will lead the 2021 fundraising efforts for Go Red, which encourages women to take charge of their heart health and combat heart disease and stroke.

As regional president of Kaiser Permanente in the Mid-Atlantic States, Ruth Williams-Brinkley oversees care delivery and health plan operations in Washington, D.C., and suburban Maryland, Baltimore and Northern Virginia. The region operates 34 medical office buildings and has 770,000 members.

“I am honored to lead the inaugural DC Go Red For Women campaign and to have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the heart health of people in the communities we serve,” said Williams-Brinkley. “This mission is near and dear to my heart, as it is an extension of the important work being done at Kaiser Permanente to eliminate health care disparities and expand access to care for all in our community.”

The DC Go Red for Women campaign extends the legacy of longstanding women-focused events like An Affair of the Heart Luncheon & Fashion Show to create additional experiences to support women where they are and continues to promote the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association. An inaugural DC Go Red for Women celebration will be held later in the Spring. Plans will evolve based on CDC recommendations around gathering and the nation’s health landscape. The Go Red for Women movement is nationally sponsored by CVS Health and locally sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

To get involved and for more information, please contact Heidi.arnold@heart.org or visit DCGoRed.heart.org.  Follow along with event updates at the Facebook listing and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram use #GoRedDC.