University of Virginia Health System

Media Contact:
Ellen C. McKenna
434-982-4490
434-996-3945 (cell)
ellenmckenna@virginia.edu 

For directions and more information about the event, call 434-591-0408. 

UVA Nurse Combines Two Key Roles by Organizing
Free Women's Heart Health Event in Charlottesville on August 15

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., August 5, 2009 - As a nurse, Sharon Williams, RN, has devoted the past 21 years to caring for the physical wellbeing of patients at the University of Virginia Health System. Last year, she became a licensed minister and expanded her passion for promoting health and wellbeing by joining the Health Ministry of the Mount Zion First African Baptist Church in Charlottesville.

Now, Williams has found a unique way to combine her role as a nurse and minister by organizing a free event on August 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mount Zion Church. Entitled, "Women Celebrate and Share a Heart Connection," the event will include an interactive discussion led by the cardiology staff of UVA's Club Red Clinic, musical performances by Mt. Zion's renowned choir and refreshments provided by volunteer supporters of the Club Red Clinic.

"Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and it's time for us to start empowering each other to live heart healthy lives," Williams says. "That's what this program is all about."

Sharon Williams, RN (center) is the key organizer of the free women's heart health event being held at Mount Zion First African Baptist Church in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 15. Featured speakers will be cardiologists Angela Taylor, M.D. (left) and Amy Tucker, M.D. (right), co-directors of UVA's new Club Red Clinic which provides multi-disciplinary heart healthcare to women.

Being a nurse, Williams knows that many women lack accurate knowledge about heart disease. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard women say they don't worry about having a heart attack because only men get them," she notes. "It's also fairly common for women to dismiss their heart attack symptoms as indigestion or as signs of aging or menopause." 

Because they tend to focus more on the needs of others than themselves, women often minimize the importance of their own health. Williams will never forget the elderly woman admitted to UVA's critical care unit one Sunday. The woman was at church when she started feeling nauseous and having chest pains. "She didn't want to interrupt the service, so she stayed in her pew. She kept saying she didn't think she was having a heart attack," Williams recalls. "Well, she was having a massive heart attack and died because she waited too long to get to the hospital." 

So far, Williams and her co-organizers from the Black Nurses Association have contacted more than 40 area churches, all of which say they will have congregants at the event. "We're hoping this will be the first in a series of programs that will bring women from many different backgrounds together and open their eyes about their hearts and their health."   

Scheduled to lead the conversation about women's heart health are UVA's Club Red Clinic co-directors Amy Tucker, M.D. and Angela Taylor, M.D., both cardiologists. Nurse practitioners, dieticians and exercise physiologists from the Club Red Clinic will be on hand to facilitate small group discussions.

Mount Zion First African Baptist Church is located at 105 Lankford Avenue in Charlottesville. For directions and more information about the August 15 event, "Women Celebrate and Share a Heart Connection," call 434-591-0408.

Reporters wishing to schedule advance interviews or cover the event should contact Ellen McKenna at 434-982-4490 (office) or 434-996-3045 (cell).

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