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Tickets now available for the Winston-Salem Heart Ball Drive-In Experience Scheduled for April 22

WINSTON-SALEM — The American Heart Association has announced Novant Health vice president Alisha Hutchens as the chair for the 2021 Heart of Winston-Salem/Heart Ball Campaign. The American Heart Association has set reducing health risk in women as one of the national and regional impact priorities. Novant Health is the American Heart Association’s Life is Why Sponsor in Forsyth County.

“I am humbly honored to serve as the chair of the 2021 Winston-Salem Heart Ball Campaign. I have a connection with the work of the American Heart Association both professionally and personally. The impact of this organization is vast, as they focus on cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer worldwide, and stroke as the number two killer globally,” shared Hutchens. “Whether it be mentally or physically I believe in the importance of advocacy for health equality. As a female leader, I see firsthand the importance of women’s health, but also the health of those we love and support. I stand with the American Heart Association and believe in the pursuit of a long and healthy life, by sharing heart healthy education, tools and resources, as now more than ever, amid a pandemic, we need to focus on the health and wellbeing of those we love, while also prioritizing self-care.”

Even with supportive spouses, many women still find themselves helping the kids with homework and cleaning up household messes, often while scrambling to make dinner after a 10-hour workday filled with deadlines and challenging colleagues. All that stress could put women at higher risk than men for having a stroke or developing diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions, according to a growing number of studies. Women who reported high levels of work-related stress were 38% more likely to have a cardiovascular event than coworkers with low levels of stress. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It claims more women’s lives than all forms of cancer combined. The price of cardiovascular disease is high and 1 in 3 women will pay that price with their life.

Hutchens has been with Novant Health for 13 years. She has oversight of professional and support services, with a focus on hospital operations. She has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Her leadership background includes supply chain, strategic sourcing, and hospital administration from both an academic medical center and a large integrated not-for-profit organization.

The Heart of Winston-Salem Drive-In Experience will take place on Thursday, April 22, at The Drive at Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with the program running on the Drive-In screen at 8 p.m. Live music kicks off at 8:30 p.m. with the band, Liquid Pleasure. Ticket cost is $200 per car to include up to four guests per vehicle. Tickets include admission to the live band, drive-in program, silent auction via mobile bidding, and car-side light menu fare. Key sponsors include Novant Health, Truist and Wake Forest Baptist Health and proceeds from this event benefit heart disease and stroke research and prevention education in our community.