WASHINGTON, DC - WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease saluted Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN), today at a Capitol Hill breakfast for his commitment to fight heart disease in women.

"Each year since 1984, heart disease has claimed the lives of more females than males. We must encourage awareness and prevention and ensure access to early detection, diagnosis and treatment. And, we must all take our health to heart by eating healthy, exercising regularly and seeking regular medical checkups. I applaud WomenHeart's commitment to raising awareness, so that our mothers, wives and daughters can learn about the facts and choices available to them to prevent heart disease," said Sen. Frist, a cardiothoracic surgeon and member of the Congressional Heart & Stroke Caucus.

Also speaking at the Capitol Hill event were Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Sharonne Hayes, M.D., Director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic; and W. Allen Schaffer, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer of CIGNA.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for American women of all ages and kills 367,000 every year. Also, 8,000,000 American women are currently living with heart disease.

WomenHeart also introduced its new "Red Bag of Courage" program through which 100,000 bags will be distributed to women at risk for and living with heart disease. The bags are filled with information, coupons and products that will help women take charge of their heart health and meet the disease head on, with courage and confidence.

CIGNA is the presenting sponsor for WomenHeart's "Red Bag of Courage" program. "Many people are not aware that women are at risk of a heart attack and that the symptoms of a heart attack differ in women," said Dr. Schaffer of CIGNA. "We are proud to support WomenHeart's efforts and look forward to helping distribute the Red Bag of Courage to as many women as we can."

"Heart disease can strike any woman," said Kathy Kastan, a heart disease survivor and WomenHeart's President. "At age 40, I was physically fit and healthy - yet I developed heart disease and had to have emergency bypass surgery. The Red Bags of Courage will help women understand their treatment options and become their own best health advocates. Plus, they will connect women to WomenHeart's community and a cause larger than themselves."

Additional "Red Bag of Courage" sponsors include: 8th Continent Soymilk; AstraZeneca; Bristol-Myers Squibb; eDiets.com; Fazoli's Restaurants; Fujisawa Healthcare; Guidant Corporation; Mayo Clinic; Medtronic, Inc.; Minute Maid; National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute; and Pfizer Inc.