(Posted on Silive.com)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Plenty of poetry and song have been dedicated to a woman’s heart, but a little science is needed, too, because her heart is also at the center of the number one cause of death for women.

According to the American Heart and Stroke Association, heart disease, disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the No. 1 cause of death in American women, claiming over 400,000 lives each year, or nearly one death each minute.

In 2009, one in 30 female deaths was from breast cancer, but one in three was from cardiovascular disease.

Staten Island University Hospital will help women “Give Your Heart a Hand” at its women’s heart health forum Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Regina McGinn MD Education Center. The event will provide the opportunity for a number of important screenings and the chance to hear a nationally known cardiologist and author

Guest speaker Dr. Suzanne R. Steinbaum, attending cardiologist and director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, is author of the “Heart Book” will talk about a method of healing that combines a holistic approach, along with traditional medicine.

Screenings will include blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body mass index (BMI).

Women taking advantage of the screenings will receive EKG, echocardiograms and ankle pulse ultrasounds if one of their screenings show they are at risk for heart attack or cardiac disease.

Nicotine patches will be available for free and activities will include stress reduction techniques. Healthy refreshments and raffles and prizes will also be part of the festive and informative night.

SIUH staff will be on hand including Dr. Thomas C. Costantino, director of cardiology;Dr. Joseph T. McGinn, medical director of The Heart Institute and chairman of surgery; Dr. Marcin Kowalski, attending electrophysiologist, and Dr. Frank V. Tamburrino, associate chairman interventional cardiology.