{"id":323899,"date":"2026-05-20T02:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T02:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/323899\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T02:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T02:57:01","slug":"sacramento-lawyer-wins-national-award-for-driving-heart-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/323899\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento lawyer wins national award for driving heart health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>DALLAS, May 19, 2026 \u00a0\u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.heart.org\/news\/heart-disease-stroke-deaths-down-yet-still-kill-more-in-u-s-than-any-other-cause\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women<\/a>, according to the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. For Sacramento-based attorney and community advocate Anh Phoong, that reality is deeply personal.<\/p>\n<p>Phoong became a nominee for the American Heart Association\u2019s Go Red for Women <a href=\"https:\/\/womanofimpact.heart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Woman of Impact\u2122<\/a> campaign to raise awareness about women\u2019s heart health and is now the 2026 National Woman of Impact\u2122 Winner based on her efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI went on this journey because my mom survived a heart attack,\u201d Phoong said. \u201cFor so many women, that\u2019s not the outcome. This campaign was my way of honoring her \u2014 and reminding women that we have to take care of ourselves if we want to keep showing up for everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Woman of Impact campaign is part of the Association\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goredforwomen.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Go Red for Women<\/a> movement, a nationwide initiative mobilizing communities to improve women\u2019s heart health. The honor recognizes Phoong\u2019s dedication and passion during the nine-week campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Phoong led a team-driven effort, pulling together leaders from across Sacramento to build a group of more than 100 people who raised awareness, inspired healthier habits and supported critical funding for research, education and advocacy \u2014 all aimed at addressing the unique risks women face when it comes to CVD.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is what women supporting women really looks like,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we show up for each other, our impact is bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Woman of Impact campaign, launched annually on National Wear Red Day\u00ae, the first Friday in February, calls on changemakers across the country to lead grassroot efforts that improve heart health in their communities. Participants form Impact Teams to raise funds, educate others on cardiovascular risks and inspire meaningful lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n<p>Nominees across the country reached thousands of people \u2014 encouraging simple but powerful actions like daily movement, healthier eating and stress management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be complicated,\u201d Phoong said. \u201cGo for a walk. Make better choices. Small habits add up. That\u2019s how we take control of our health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the 2026 National Woman of Impact Winner, Phoong joins a growing network of advocates working to close gaps in awareness, research and care for women. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/-\/media\/PHD-Files-2\/Science-News\/2\/2026-Heart-and-Stroke-Stat-Update\/Translations\/English\/2026-Stats-Update-Fact-Sheet-US-Females-and-CVD_final.pdf?sc_lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Despite progress, fewer than half of women recognize CVD as their greatest health threat, and women remain underrepresented in research and underserved in care.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Woman of Impact campaign brings the mission of Go Red for Women to life in communities across the country,\u201d said Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., volunteer chair of the American Heart Association and managing partner and co-founder at 7wireVentures, an investment firm headquartered in Chicago. \u201cLeaders like Phoong drive change by taking actions that help more women live longer, healthier lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information about the Woman of Impact campaign and the Go Red for Women movement, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goredforwomen.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">GoRedforWomen.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">###<\/p>\n<p>About the American Heart Association<\/p>\n<p>The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public\u2019s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.heart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">heart.org<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericanHeart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/American_Heart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">X<\/a>\u00a0or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>About Go Red for Women\u00ae\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The American Heart Association\u2019s signature initiative, Go Red for Women\u00ae, is a comprehensive platform designed to increase women\u2019s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women globally. While the majority of cardiac events can be prevented, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, claiming the lives of 1 in 3 women. For more than two decades, Go Red for Women has encouraged awareness. The movement harnesses the energy, passion and power of women to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges them to know their risk for heart disease and take action to reduce their personal risk. It also gives them tools they need to lead a heart healthy life. The Go Red for Women movement is nationally sponsored by CVS Health, with additional support from national cause supporters. For more information, please visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goredforwomen.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">GoRedforWomen.org<\/a>\u00a0or call\u00a01-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Media Inquiries:<\/p>\n<p>Katie Kwapich: <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.heart.org\/news\/mailto:Katie.Kwapich@Heart.org\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Katie.Kwapich@Heart.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.heart.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">heart.org<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.stroke.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">stroke.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS, May 19, 2026 \u00a0\u2014 Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, according to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[134850,13007,82623,118305,134851,134852,121,123,122,134849],"class_list":["post-323899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-2026-national-woman-of-impact-winner","tag-american-heart-association","tag-anh-phoong","tag-go-red-for-women","tag-national-award-for-driving-heart-health","tag-recognizing-impact-in-the-community","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-women-of-impact"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}