Muscogee (Creek) Nation, American Heart Association partner for public event to promote heart health

Second Chief Del Beaver, Principal Chief David Hill and Secretary of Health Shawn Terry pose at the Go Red for Native Women.

For immediate release
March 2, 2020

Muscogee (Creek) Nation, American Heart Association partner for public event to promote heart health

GLENPOOL, Oklahoma — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, in conjunction with the American Heart Association and others, partnered on Friday to present Go Red for Native Women Heart Health Summit at the Glenpool Convention Center.

The event was held from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm and free to the public. The Summit featured various keynote speakers that are experts in their respective fields. Numerous booths were set up around the room providing tips and suggestions on how to change lifestyles and focus on heart health. There was also a cooking demonstration provided by Chef Taelor Barton. Chef Barton incorporated traditional foods and aspects of Native cooking in her presentation.

In his welcome address, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief, David Hill, told the crowd of more than 200, “We all know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but for Native women it takes a much heavier toll.” Hill provided statistics. “American Indian and Alaska Native women die from it at a rate 20-30 percent higher than non-Native women,” said Hill.

In response to these staggering statistics, the MCN Department of Health has implemented numerous programs that promote healthy living and active lifestyles – including their Tribal Walking Program. “These are our mothers, daughters, sisters, and our wives – their strength and their health are essential to our families. We must all work toward changing these statistics.”

For more information on heart health, please visit www.goredforwomen.org or www.creekhealth.org

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