Wearing RED during American Heart Month is not just for people—it’s for offices, homes, buildings, bridges, parks, and landmarks, too.

To raise awareness, The Texas Heart Institute’s Denton A. Cooley Building will light red throughout American #HeartMonth.

The Cooley Building is in good company, as its Texas Medical Center neighbors Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and Memorial Hermann Hospital have also lit their buildings red for February.

The month of February brings heightened awareness to heart health, celebrates Black history, and renews longstanding traditions and lifesaving campaigns we look forward to every year, including National Wear Red Day, Go Red for Women, and Marfan Awareness Month.

On the first Friday of February, Americans come together to show their support for the fight against heart disease and stroke by wearing red attire on National Wear Red Day.

Women and men throughout the country pull out their red sweaters, dresses, ties, and Red Dress pins to show their support for the movement to save women’s lives thanks to the Go Red Campaign.

Important Facts About Cardiovascular Disease

• Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, according to 2020 data.
• Coronary heart disease caused 382,820 deaths in 2020.
• According to data from 2005 to 2014, the estimated annual incidence of heart attack in the U.S. was 605,000 new attacks and 200,000 recurrent attacks. The average age at the first heart attack was 65.6 years for males and 72.0 years for females.
• Approximately every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. will have a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
• From 2010 to 2020 in the U.S., the annual death rate attributable to coronary heart disease declined 19.2% and the actual number of deaths increased 0.9%.
• The estimated direct and indirect cost of heart disease in 2018 to 2019 (average annual) was $239.9 billion in the U.S.

Important Facts About Cardiovascular Disease in Women

• Cardiovascular diseases kill nearly 1 in 3 women each year.
• Cardiovascular diseases kill about one woman every 80 seconds and about 80% of cardiovascular diseases may be preventable.
• Most cardiac and stroke events can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes, such as moving more, eating smart, and managing blood pressure.
• Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined, and yet only 44% of women recognize that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health threat.
• Among females 20 years and older, nearly 45% are living with some form of cardiovascular disease and less than 50% of women entering pregnancy in the U.S. have good heart health.
• Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of new moms and accounts for over one-third of maternal deaths. Black women have some of the highest maternal mortality rates.
• Only 38% of participants in clinical cardiovascular trials are women.