Clovis luncheon raises heart disease awareness for women, funds education

More than 240 people filled the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Thursday for a luncheon that turned a local venue into a warning flare for women’s heart health. The Central Valley Go Red for Women Luncheon, held at 808 4th Street in Clovis, brought together survivors, health advocates and community members for an event built around one message: heart disease remains the leading killer of women.

The American Heart Association said the luncheon honored survivors and raised funds for lifesaving research, education and advocacy. Cynthia Cervantes, identified by the association as the Central Valley Go Red for Women chair and an Anthem Blue Cross clinical quality director, said cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer of women and that informed, supported women can better take charge of their heart and brain health.

The numbers behind that warning are stark. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heart disease caused the deaths of 304,970 women in 2023, about 1 in every 5 female deaths. The CDC also says more than 60 million women in the United States, or 44%, are living with some form of heart disease, yet only about 56% recognize it as their number one killer. That gap between risk and awareness is exactly what events like the Clovis luncheon are meant to close.

One of the most personal moments centered on Alexandria Cordova, a Central Valley resident whose story was shared during the program. Cordova was born with multiple congenital heart defects and underwent open-heart surgery at two weeks old, a reminder that heart disease can touch women and families early in life, not just later in adulthood. The American Heart Association also says women remain underrepresented in cardiovascular research and face unique risk periods such as pregnancy and menopause.

Go Red for Women, launched in 2004 as an awareness campaign, has grown into a national platform for education and advocacy, and the Central Valley luncheon was part of that larger effort. With CVS Health as the national sponsor, the Clovis gathering tied a familiar Fresno County setting to a national public health issue that still lands hard in local homes, clinics and workplaces.