When it comes to making family healthcare decisions, women are often at the helm. As the primary caregivers for their families, they steer the healthcare course for their children and spouses and many times their parents and friends. The mission of the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s Women & Medicine Lunch series, now in its fifth year, is to educate, enlighten and empower women with the knowledge they need to be able to make the very best healthcare decisions for themselves, their families, their friends and the community. The series showcases leading physicians from the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System team and the latest information about prevention, screening and diagnosis, along with treatments available at Sarasota Memorial.

This year’s program focused on trends and innovation in cardiac care. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women. More women die of heart disease than any other disease and more than all cancers combined. One out of every three women in the US will die from heart disease; 30 percent more African American women will die of heart disease than their Caucasian counterparts.

Co-chairs for this year’s event were: Beverly Bartner, Johanna Gustafsson, Charlie Ann Syprett and Sylvia Taylor.

SMH Foundation