LONG BEACH, CA — Employees at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center will mark National Wear Red Day by uniting in a powerful visual display to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death among American women.
Approximately 100 employees will “Stand 4 Women’s Heart” by forming a giant, life-sized human heart on the ground beneath the hospital’s footbridge, wearing red T-shirts and red heart-shaped sunglasses. The symbolic formation is designed to draw attention to the importance of heart health, early detection, and prevention.
Before the formation, participants will write the name of a woman they love on “Stand 4 Women’s Heart” postcards and gather together on the footbridge, creating a tunnel of personal tributes. The moment is intended to highlight the human impact of heart disease and the urgency of recognizing symptoms that are often overlooked or misunderstood in women.
Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, yet awareness and timely diagnosis continue to lag behind. MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center officials say the event reflects the hospital’s broader commitment to education, prevention, and women’s cardiovascular health.
As part of that effort, the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center and MemorialCare Medical Group – Douglas Park have partnered to establish the Women’s Heart Center, a specialized program focused on addressing long-standing gender disparities in cardiac diagnosis and treatment. The center provides women-focused cardiac care, screenings, and second-opinion services and is the only program of its kind serving South Los Angeles and North Orange County, filling a critical regional gap in access to advanced cardiovascular care for women.
Hospital leaders say initiatives like National Wear Red Day not only raise visibility but also serve as a reminder that education, prevention, and access to specialized care are key to saving women’s lives.