On Thursday, May 1, women in the Elkhart community spent their morning learning about cardiovascular health at the 2025 American Heart Association Michiana Go Red for Women Luncheon. The luncheon took place at the Crystal Ballroom in the Lerner Theater, and Goshen Heart and Vascular was a sponsor of the event.
Erin Crawford, development director for the American Heart Association, values this event as a way for the organization to convey its mission of being a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
“Go Red For Women is a movement educating women about heart health,” Crawford said. “It launched 21 years ago with a focus on the symptoms of heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of one in three women ages 25 and older, and that's a scary reality. We're making sure that you're aware of your risk factors such as hypertension, cholesterol, and the amount of sleep you get.”
This event provided women with a CPR demonstration to focus on the chain of survival. The American Heart Association hopes that every woman will walk away knowing how to save a life.
The American Heart Association provided CPR stats, facts and demos throughout the program. One of the most critical stats is that nine out of every 10 people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive. Additionally, the chance of survival when a friend or family member performs CPR doubles.
Dr. Sreenivas Kamath, MD, is a board certified cardiologist with Goshen Heart & Vascular Center. He admires how the American Heart Association’s mission lines up with what Goshen Health is all about.
“Goshen Health always stands for the patients,” Kamath said. “We have patient care that is committed and passionate, especially when it comes to our cardiology department. We work cohesively as a group to strengthen the health of the community.”
One of the trickiest parts of getting help for heart disease can be the inability to recognize some of its symptoms. Kamath encourages everyone to see a doctor, even if there is only an inkling of suspicion.
“It’s extremely important for our community to know the risks of heart disease,” Kamath said. “The diagnosis of heart disease in women is often missed by healthcare providers, or the symptoms are ignored by the patients themselves. Events like today’s let us advocate for people to be aware of their healthcare and seek medical attention whenever there is any doubt.”
The American Heart Association has had many sponsors over the years. Kamath represented Goshen Health for a women's health panel that helped respond to the concerns discussed during the program.
“Goshen Health has been a great partner of ours for many years,” Crawford said. “Dr. Kamath is hosting a Q&A, which is the biggest highlight of our program. It’s a really interactive way to highlight their services and talk about how essential this is for the community.”
Dr. Thalia Pachiyannakis, OBGYN at Heart City Health Center, joined Kamath on the panel. One major concern that she addressed was the ability to recognize how headaches can be a sign of detrimental health, even to the extent of a stroke.
“It’s important when you have headaches to see a primary care doctor to get evaluated and have your blood pressure checked,” Pachiyannakis said. “Getting an evaluation is very important. Some of the most frequent symptoms of stroke include sudden headaches, loss of vision, difficulty in speech, confusion, difficulty in walking balance, and overall weakness.”
During the panel discussion, Kamath also recommended that people exercise for at least five days a week to limit the possibility of a cardiovascular health deficiency as much as possible.
“The expected heart rate that should be reached on a treadmill for women is 210 minus the age,” Kamath said. “For men, that number would be 220 minus the age. You can expect the heart rate and blood pressure to increase during the most intense part on the treadmill. You generally don’t need to monitor it during an exercise. If you have a history of heart issues, however, you might need to listen to your body and be a bit more cautious.”
Some of the women in attendance have experienced traumatic health scares in the past and came to support this movement. This includes Mia Albert, RN, who had a scary moment five years ago that sent her to the emergency room.
“I had nausea, indigestion, and was vomiting,” Albert said. “It was kind of a heartburn feeling. They didn’t find anything wrong with me, but they did find a kidney stone on some of the imaging they did. They sent me off with medication and a referral to a urologist. I had neck and jaw pain, so my husband brought me back to the emergency room, and that’s when they found that the symptoms I had been having for the past four days were actually from a heart attack. I ended up having quadruple bypass surgery right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and honestly, I’m thankful to be alive. My heart attack was missed, and I didn’t have any of the chest pain symptoms.”
Nowadays, Albert continues to educate women that the signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain can be an underlying sign of a heart attack that may be harder to detect.
Along with Goshen Health, the Gurley Leep Automotive Family and Heart City Health served as the three sponsors of this event. Each organization provided remarks during the program, followed by a presentation of videos and CPR practice.
“More women die from heart disease each year than any other disease, including all cancers combined,” LaLaesha Black, interim chief executive officer at Heart City Health, said. “That’s scary. Our mission has three pillars in impacting every part of our lives and health journey including life stages, bridging the gap, and research and science. Go Red For Women is committed to meeting the needs of women at every age, stage and season of their life.”
The American Heart Association is grateful for the sponsors who helped contribute to this event. It takes a team to save just one life, and the ultimate goal is to save as many as possible.
“The sponsors are what make today possible,” Crawford said. “It lets us educate more of the Michiana community about all of the components that contribute to a healthy heart.”
Leanne Tokars and Bob Montgomery, news anchors for WSBT-TV, were the emcees for the program. Attendees were also invited to take pictures in the photo booth with their friends.
For more information on the American Heart Association, visit its website.
For more information on Goshen Health, visit goshenhealth.com.
