RITE AID TO HELP FIGHT HEART DISEASE, THE NO. 1 KILLER OF WOMEN OVER 20
Rite Aid Providing Free Heart Health Guides in Stores Nationwide and Posting Advice Interactively Online,
Joining American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” Campaign to Reduce Heart Disease in Women
Camp Hill, PA (Feb. 2, 2009) – Rite Aid is partnering with the American Heart Association and its “Go Red for Women” campaign by helping customers get heart smart with a free 12-page guide on heart health, available in all its pharmacies nationwide, and interactively online now through March 28. The stakes couldn’t be higher – an estimated 70,000 American women will succumb to heart disease in the next two months alone, according to the American Heart Association.
The first step to preventing heart disease is education, and trained Rite Aid pharmacists are a convenient and trusted source for personalized heart health tips. Rite Aid customers also can pick up the heart health guide, which was developed in conjunction with the experts at the American Heart Association and explains:
• How to identify your risks for heart disease;
• The numbers behind heart disease: Body Mass Index (BMI), cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar;
• How to quickly identify symptoms of a stroke, which is similar to a heart attack except that the blood flow to the brain is interrupted; and
• Tips on how to realize a healthy lifestyle of exercise and proper diet.
Online content available now through http://www.riteaid.com/health/heart/
includes:
• The “Go Red for Women” heart checkup;
• The American Heart Association’s heart profiler;
• Information on the connection between gum disease and heart health;
• Information on quitting smoking including an interactive timeline of health after smoking, a “smokulator” to tally smoke-free savings, and a customizable quitting plan including topics to discuss with your doctor or Rite Aid pharmacist; and
• The Give Me 5 stroke warning signs.
To further bolster the fight against heart disease, Rite Aid again is raising money for American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, which aims to debunk the myth that heart disease is a “man’s disease” and to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in women by 25 percent by 2010.
Rite Aid associates nationwide will sell red dress pin-ups throughout February for donations of $1 or more. In return, customers will receive coupons for heart healthy products and other items. Customers who buy $30 worth of select heart-related products will receive a “Heart and Soul” T-shirt through Rite Aid’s Single Check Rebate program. Special heart-healthy displays also are in stores featuring products such as aspirin and fish oil that may boost heart health.
On Feb. 6, Rite Aid associates across the country will “Go Red for Women” and show their support for the program by wearing red and donating to the American Heart Association.
Rite Aid's focus on heart health is part of its yearlong commitment to patient health and wellness. Each year Rite Aid offers free information, answers and guidance on health and wellness topics including diabetes, allergy awareness, skin care, oral health, and weight management.
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation’s leading drugstore chains with more than 4,900 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia with fiscal 2008 annual sales of more than $24.3 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company’s Web site at http://www.riteaid.com.
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