Special to the Daily News

In celebration of the 10th National Wear Red Day, Go Red For Women is asking women across America to join them today in making America Go Red and save women’s lives.

Go Red For Women was created by the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2004 to empower women to take charge of their heart health while banding together and collectively wiping out heart disease. The program challenges women to know the risk for heart disease and use the tools provided by Go Red to take action to reduce their personal risk.

Funds raised by Go Red For Women allow the AHA to help women by offering educational programs, increase women’s understanding about their risk for heart disease and support research to discover scientific knowledge about heart health. AHA turns science into materials and tools that health care providers and decision-makers can use to help women. Scientific guidelines on women and health care providers receive the most up-to-date strategies and treatments tailored to a woman’s individual risk.

According to the AHA, since the first National Wear Red Day 10 years ago, tremendous strides have been made in the fight against heart disease in women. There has been legislation to help end gender disparities, gender-specific results have been published — allowing establishment in differences of symptoms and responses to medications and women-specific guidelines for prevention and treatment. In addition 21 percent fewer women are dying from heart disease and 23 percent more women are aware heart disease is their number one health threat.