Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Las Vegas welcome sign, High Roller going red for women’s heart health

The famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign will be aglow in red Friday to spread awareness about heart disease, especially among women.

The lighting of the iconic sign and other Las Vegas Strip landmarks is the city's first large-scale event to support Women's National Wear Red Day. The High Roller observation wheel will be lit red, along with hotel marquees at Wynn and Encore, the Venetian and Palazzo and Town Square Las Vegas, among others.

Red lightbulbs on the welcome sign will be activated at 9:30 a.m Friday following a brief ceremony, county officials said. The American Heart Association and Scientific Games are sponsoring the festivities as part of Go Red for Women, a national movement to draw attention to women's heart issues.

Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease or stroke, according to the American Heart Association. One in three women die from a cardiovascular disease.

Despite the sobering statistics, society tends to view heart disease as a male problem, and women aren't very diligent about monitoring their heart health, said Jennifer Merback, the heart association's communications and marketing director for Nevada and Utah.

"We're the caretakers of the family," she said. "We make sure everyone else goes to the doctor. We don't get in and get our numbers, such as blood pressure and cholesterol. We miss the warning signs."

The Southern Nevada Health District reported that heart disease was the leading cause of death — causing 26 percent of all deaths — in the region, according to its 2012 Health Status Assessment Report.

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