A local resident has helped Chilton Medical Center Education Department purchase new CPR mannequins in honor of Women’s Heart Month.

Betty Frater donated money to help the hospital purchase about five adult and five child dummies to help the hospital train and certify its staff and others to perform CPR.

Women’s Heart Month brings awareness about women’s heart conditions. Some of the points that it recognizes includes:

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death among women. Heart disease kills more women than men.

Currently more than 8 million U.S. women are living with heart disease.

More than 1 million people will have a heart attack at some point this year.

Of the Americans who have heart attacks this years, one in four will die for making it to the hospital. Many times because they do not recognize the sights of the attack.

Warning signs are burning in the chest/heart burn, neck pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, arm and neck pain.

Women tend to complain of sudden extreme exhaustion and heartburn instead of the “elephant on the chest” feeling or left arm pain that is typical to men.

Sixty-four of women never get to the hospital with their first heart attack.

Chilton Medical Center’s ED staff is trained to care for all patients and are trained in Advanced Cardiac Life.

The CMC staff encourages women to:

get regular check-ups.

manage your diet and blood pressure

control diabetes

exercise regularly

know your family history

do not hesitate when you have signs and symptoms to go to the emergency department for immediate care.