Freeing Women From a Hostile Environment: Science and Solutions for a Healthier Future

PITTSBURGH, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions, (http://www.womenshealthpittsburgh.org/) a free conference sponsored by Teresa Heinz, The Heinz Endowments and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC will be held at Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Friday, April 20. The event is expected to attract 2,000 people.

Pittsburgh has long been regarded as one of the former northeastern industrial giants working to recover from decades of serious environmental problems related to toxins in air, water and land. But in recent years, the city has become a center for innovative research and solutions to health issues related to those problems.

Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions parallels an annual conference hosted in Boston by Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Philanthropies for the past decade. This is the first time the conference is being held in Pittsburgh.

“When I convened the first conference in Boston a decade ago, I wanted to arm women with information about the relationship between the environment and their health,” says Teresa Heinz, Chairman of The Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. “This year, I am delighted we are taking this on the road to Pittsburgh. We will focus on science, but also on solutions. And I can’t think of a better place to bring this conversation than my hometown, which more than any other city in America, has demonstrated both the will and the way to overcome the consequences of environmental degradation.”

The conference features nationally renowned scientists, environmentalists and activists who will inform women — and men who care about women’s health — about environmental health risks and the protective steps they can take as they make everyday decisions about their health and lifestyles.

“A conference like this gives women the tools they need to make healthy decisions,” says Leslie C. Davis, President, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Magee, which is in the top tier nationally for medical treatment and health advocacy for women, is collaborating with Teresa Heinz and the Endowments on the conference. “Pittsburgh is a national health care leader,” says Davis, “and it’s time we take a closer look at the role the environment plays in our overall well-being and in keeping women and men informed of our findings.”

The conference will feature two keynote addresses. Sandra Seingraber, author of “Living Downstream” and “Having Faith,” will discuss “Contaminated Without Consent: How Pollutants in Air, Food and Water Violate Human Rights” and Tyrone Hayes, a noted biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, will discuss “Silent Spring to Silent Night: Hermaphroditic Frogs, Breast Cancer and Pesticides.” There also will be panel discussions featuring local and national experts.

Fran Drescher, actress, health advocate and author of “Cancer Schmancer” will deliver the closing keynote address.

Women’s Health & the Environment: New Science, New Solutions begins with registration at 8:00 a.m. and concludes at 4:30 p.m. Individuals can register for the conference at http://www.womenshealthpittsburgh.org/. All registrants will receive a toolkit with resources and materials that will inform and empower them as they make lifestyle decisions that will improve their health.

Immediately following the conference, the Rachel Carson Homestead will hold the Rachel Carson Legacy Celebration at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The event commemorates the centennial of Rachel Carson’s birth and will include significant announcements about groups, organizations and corporations who are making commitments to implement green steps to a sustainable future. A special performance by The Indigo Girls is a part of the celebration that runs from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the cost is $50 per person. For more information and registration individuals should visit http://www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org/.

Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC

CONTACT: Sue Cardillo, +1-412-490-0303, ext. 3, orsue@mcmahon-cardillo.com, or Lynn McMahon, +1-412-490-0303, ext. 2, orlynn@mcmahon-cardillo.com, both of McMahon & Cardillo Communication, forMagee-Womens Hospital of UPMC