On June 14, 2012,
Cedars-Sinai named their women's cardiac research and care facility
after Barbra Streisand.
New
Donation
to
Launch
National
Campaign
Jan. 15, 2013
At the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters symposium in Palm Springs today, Barbra Streisand gave another $2 million to Cedars-Sinai's Women's Heart Health program.
Speaking in front of President Clinton and an audience that included some of the nation's leading health care professionals, Barbra announced that her latest contribution will be earmarked for a national women's heart health awareness campaign.
Barbra said, "As a member of the board of directors of the Cedars-Sinai medical center, I'm thrilled to announce that the hospital. through the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center is pledging $2 million to launch a national campaign to address issues of awareness, prevention and advocacy as related to women's heart health."
Transcript of Barbra address to the Clinton Foundation's Health Matters Conference
Thank you. I want to start with potato chips. Not to eat, but Americans spend $7 billion a year on potato chips. We spend $73.9 billion on carbonated soft drinks. And we spend $110 billion on fast foods.
Not only does that contribute to heart disease, but our country can only find a fraction of that sum to spend on research to combat it. The N.I.H.* invests less than 3% of its budget on heart disease when 30% of the population dies from it. Yet, most people are not aware of these facts.
About 39,520 women die of breast cancer each year in the United States as compared to around 455,000 women who die of heart disease.
I became committed to doing this work in 2007 when I learned that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the world. It kills more women than men, and it kills more women than all cancers combined. Yet, most people are not aware of these facts.
I also learned that nearly all of the cardiac research studies funded during the past 50 years have been done primarily on men. And needless to say, there are physiological differences between men and women - we have different plumbing - and often times, heart disease presents very differently in women. And yet, most people are not aware of this either.
So, a member of the board of directors at Cedars-Sinai medical center, I'm thrilled to announce that the hospital, through the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, is pledging $2 million to launch a national campaign to address issues of awareness, prevention and advocacy as related to women's heart health.
Dr. Noel Bairey-Merz, the brilliant director of the women's heart center will be a part of the panel of speakers today and she'll share in greater depth how the center is helping change the way women are diagnosed. treated and educated.
Before I return to my seat, I want to thank President Clinton and his foundation for creating this forum, for providing leadership and highlighting important issues in the field of wellness, health and disease prevention. The pledges made during this conference will undoubtedly impact many lives for years to come.
Thank you so much.
* National Institute of Health
An
Elegant,
Heartfelt
Plea
July 5, 2012 Barbra Streisand returned to the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on July 3 to deliver an important speech about women's heart health, one of several speakers given exactly two minutes to deliver a message.
Aware of the time constraint, Barbra presented her points with wit, poise and pure elegance. If this were a public speaking contest, she'd have won a blue ribbon.
Barbra has been on a year-long campaign to raise awareness (and funds) to support women's cardio research and care at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai. To date, her efforts have brought in over $20 million. Last month, Cedars named their women's cardiac facility "The Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center."
Barbra,
Dr.
Merz
Named
Women
of
the
Week
June 28, 2012
For their extraordinary work in promoting equality in gender based medical research, and for their unwavering commitment to a massive fundraising drive that generated in excess of $20 million toward that goal, both Barbra Streisand and Dr. Noel Merz
of
Cedars-Sinai
have
been
chosen
as
the
iVillage
Women
of
the
Week.
iVillage
is a
respected
web
site
that
promotes
various
women's
issues
such
as
health,
politics,
finance, home and
the
work
place.
Each
week,
iVillage
elects
a
Woman
(or
women)
of
the
Week;
people
who
"motivate,
inspire
and
do
extraordinary
things."
The
Election
of
Barbra
and
Dr.
Merz
comes
on
the
heals
of a
successful
fundraiser
held
at
Barbra's
home
last
week..
Matters
of
the
Heart
June 15, 2012 Barbra Streisand opened her home last night, performed a few songs, and raised several million dollars in her ongoing effort to battle women's heart disease.
Former
president
Bill
Clinton
was
there
to
lend
support
alongside
comedian
Martin
Short
and
balladeer
Josh
Grobin.
Barbra
sang
three
song
solos
("Evergreen,"
"That
Face"
and
"Here's
to
Life")
and
a
duet
with
Grobin
("Smile").
A
highlight
of
the
evening's
festivities
was
a
special
announcement.
Cedars-Sinai
hospital
has
named
their
women's
cardiac
research
and
care
facility
"The
Barbra
Streisand
Women's
Heart
Center."
Barbra's
association
with
Cedars-Sinai
goes
as
far
back
as
1968.
The
Hollywood
premiere
of
the
film
"Funny
Girl"
was
a
benefit
for
the
hospital's
cardiac
program.
Barbra
Addresses
Women's
Conference
December
1,
2011 Beamed
live around
the
country
this
morning,
Barbra
Streisand
gave
an
impassioned
speech
at
the
TedxWomen's
symposium
from
Beverly
Hills.
She
was
there
to
introduce Dr. C. Noel Merz,
director
of
the
Women's
Heart
Center
at
Cedars-Sinai.
Barbra
spoke
for
a
full
10
minutes
during
which
she
discussed
the
important
differences
between
men
and
women
in
detecting
and
preventing
heart
disease.
She
also
called
for
a
gender
balanced
approach
to
research.
"Heart
disease
kills
more
women
than
all
cancers
combined
...
Even
though
heart
disease
has
been
called
a
man's
disease,
since
1984,
more
women
have
died
annually
from
heart
disease
than
men
...
For
50
years,
women
have
been
treated
based
on
diagnostics
created
for
men.
So
what
is
wrong
with
this
picture?
What's
wrong
with
this
picture
is
the
outrageous
gender
inequality
that
women
face
in
the
treatment
of
heart
disease."
"Our
next
speaker's
achievements
as a
director,
actor,
singer,
composer
and
producer
are
simply
legendary.
She's
the
recipient
of
two
Oscars,
five
Emmys,
ten
Grammys,
twelve
Golden
Globes,
and
she's
also
the
first
female
film
director
to
receive
the
Kennedy
Center
Honors.
"Her
activism
and
philanthropic
pursuits
are
just
as
impressive.
Her
foundation
has
provided
millions
of
dollars
in
funding
to
over
700
nonprofit
organizations.
These
organizations
include
the
Cedars-Sinai
women's
cardiovascular
research
and
education
program,
led
by
the
amazing
Dr.
Noel
Bairey
Merz,
whose
groundbreaking
work
is
changing
the
way
we
treat
the
leading
cause
of
death
among
women
in
United
States.
"We
are
so
proud
to
welcome
to
the
TEDxWomen's
stage,
ladies
and
gentlemen
Barbra
Streisand."
Cedars
Honors
Barbra
November
9,
2011 Barbra
Streisand
was
presented
the
Cedars-Sinai
Board
of
Governors'
Humanitarian
Award
at a
fundraising
dinner
on
last
night.
Proceeds
from
the
event,
which
took
place
at
the
Beverly
Hilton
in
L.A.
will
go
to
the
Cedars-Sinai
Heart
Institute.
In
recent
years,
Barbra
has
been
actively
involved
with
fundraising
efforts
for
Cedars
and
their
heart
institute.
Using
her
good
name
and
well
known
celebrity,
Barbra
has
spearheaded
campaign efforts
designed
to
raise
money
for
research
and
to
promote
women's
health
awareness.
Last
year,
Barbra
spoke
about
her
involvement:
"I
am
doing
this
because
heart
disease
is
the
number
one
killer
of
women
in
our
country,
more
than
all
other
cancers
combined.
And
today,
more
women
die
of
heart
disease
than
men.
Because
of
these
staggering
statistics,
I am
committed
to
taking
on
this
epidemic,
and
I
need
all
of
your
help."
Here
is a
transcript
of
Barbra's
remarks
from
last
night:
"What
could
be
more
gratifying
than
to
know
that
we
are
helping
women
live
longer
and
healthier
lives?
For
me,
I
was
shocked
when
I
first
learned
that
heart
disease
kills
more
women
than
all
cancers
combined.
For
every
woman
that
dies
from
breast
cancer,
ten,
perhaps
eleven,
die
from
heart
disease.
And
I
find
that
most
people
don't
know
that,
and
it's
time
they
did.
Every
woman
lost
is
someone's
mother,
sister,
wife,
daughter,
aunt,
friend,
and
that's
why
the
work
that's
being
done
at
Cedars-Sinai
Women's
Heart
Center
is
priceless.
"I've
always
been
fascinated
by
gender
inequality
–
whether
it's
making
a
movie
called
Yentl
or
becoming
involved
in
many
women's
issues.
Gender
does
matter
when
it
comes
to
medical
science,
especially
in
clinical
research
and
treatment
protocols.
How
can
you
treat
a
women
for
a
life
threatening
ailment
based
on
diagnostics
and
technologies
created
for
men,
when
every
year
nearly,
as
Noel
[Dr.
Merz]
said,
500
thousand
women
just
in
the
United
States
alone
are
dying
from
heart
disease?
It
is
the
number
one
killer
of
women
worldwide.
And
these
questions
astounded
me,
and
that's
why
I
became
involved
in
the
work
of
the
Women's
Heart
Center.
From
the
bottom
of
mine,
thank
you,
and
good
night."
New
Smart Phone
App
Spotlights
the
Cause
May
30,
2011
As
part
of
their
continuing
(and
creative)
efforts
to
support
research
and
education
on
the
issue
of
women's
cardiovascular
health,
Barbra
Streisand
and
the
Cedars-Sinai
Heart
Institute
have
released
a
brand
new
smart
phone
app.
It's
called
"HER
Heart
Health."
The
app
is
by
no
means
sophisticated,
but
its
message
is
crucial
and
deserves
notice.
And
of
course,
if
you
download
the app,
you'll
receive
Barbra's
public
service
video.
The
free app
offers
nutritional
and
exercise
information,
facts
about
women's
heart
disease
and
has a
direct
link
to
Barbra's
fundraising
page
where
people
can
donate.
The
app
is
compatible
with
iPhone,
Android
and
Blackberry
devices.
You
can
download
the
iPhone
version
of
the app
here.
Auction
Nets
Big
Donation
May 3, 2011
Congratulations to
Barbra and her Charity buzz
auction. The auction ended
earlier today with a winning bid
of $21,500. Two Streisand fans
split the winning bid and will
enjoy a
personal meet-and-greet with
Barbra on the set of "My
Mother's Curse."
The auction was the latest in
Barbra's series of
extraordinary fundraising efforts to
raise money for the Cedars-Sinai
Women's Heart Center.
Visit
barbrastreisand.com
for
more
details
on
her
Women's
Cardio
Health
initiative.
Although
the
auction
is
over,
you
can
still
contribute
to
help
the
cause.
Meet
Barbra:
It's
All
for
Charity
April 14, 2011 Would
you
like
to
meet Barbra
Streisand
in
person
and
help
raise
money
for
the
Women's
Heart
Center
at
Cedars-Sinai?
Then
all
you
have
to
do
is
be
the
winning
bidder
at
the
special Charitybuzz
auction.
The
lucky
winner
will
visit
Barbra
on
the
Los
Angeles
set
of
her
upcoming
movie,
"My
Mother's
Curse"
sometime
this
summer.
The
special
auction
was
announced
on
Barbra's
web
site
this
morning.
This
type
of
auction is
a
rarity
for
Barbra.
The
last
time
Barbra
did
anything
remotely similar
was
back
in
1973
when
she
took
live song
requests
over
the
phone
for
people
who
contributed
to
the
Daniel Ellsberg
ACLU
fundraiser.
To
find
out
how
to
participate
in
this
current
auction,
visit
barbrastreisand.com.
You
have
until
May
3 to
place
that
winning
bid.
Cardio
PSA to be Shown at "Little
Fockers"
November 9, 2010
This evening, "The
Insider" aired a brief
clip from a new public
service announcement folks
will see when they attend
screenings of "Little
Fockers" next month. The
PSA is for the
Cedars-Sinai Women's
Heart Center. The spot
appears
to be similar to
the one Barbra released
last week, except for one
difference. In the
theatrical version, Barbra
introduces herself as Roz
Focker and appears in full
hair and makeup.
Barbra's
PSA
The
"Roz Focker" PSA
You can
watch Barbra's on-line appeal for women's cardio-vascular research at
barbrastreisand.com.
Donate,
Win
a
Chance
to
See
Barbra
November 4, 2010
Fans
have
a
chance
to
see
Barbra,
live,
during
her
Oprah
show
taping
on
Nov.
10.
It's
all
part
of
Barbra's
fundraising
efforts
for
Cedars-Sinai
Women's
Heart
Center.
Just
visit
crowdrise.com
and
make
a
$24
donation.
You'll
be
automatically
entered
in a
contest
to
win
a
pair
of
tickets
to
the
broadcast.
Visit
barbrastreisand.com
for
more
details.
Barbra
Urges
Fans
to
Get
Involved
October 26, 2010
Barbra Streisand is asking her
fans - and others around the
country - to support her in
efforts to raise money for
research, treatment and
education on women's heart
disease. Barbra is the Project
Coordinator for a major
fundraiser that will benefit the
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. In
a statement on her web site
yesterday, Barbra urges her fans
to get involved:
"Please help me as I launch my first ever online campaign to raise money for research, treatment and education on women’s heart disease.
I will be encouraging individuals around the country to join me in supporting the work of the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute because of the leadership role they are taking to advance heart care, research and education focused on women.
I am doing this because heart disease is the number one killer of women in our country, more than all other cancers combined. And today, more women die of heart disease than men. Because of these staggering statistics, I am committed to taking on this epidemic, and I need all of your help.
If you have a woman in your life that you care about – a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend – please join me in helping this important campaign get off to a great start.
With great appreciation, Barbra."
If
you'd
like
to
help
with
Barbra's
efforts
to
support
the
Cedars-Sinai
Heart
Institute,
visit
crowdrise.com/barbrastreisand.
There
you'll
find
a
mission
statement,
written
by
Barbra,
that
outlines
details
of
the
Heart
Institute's
fundraising
campaign.
You
can
show
your
support
by
making
a
monetary
contribution,
or
you
can
join
the
team
if
you
are
interested
in
becoming
a
volunteer.
"The statistics are overwhelming ..."
August 6, 2010
Barbra
Streisand
attended
a
special
benefit
in
Santa
Monica
last
night,
continuing
her
ongoing
campaign
for
research
into
women's
cardiovascular
health.
The
local
event
raised
$125,000
for
the
Women's
Heart
Institute
at
Cedars-Sinai.
Interviewed
at the event,
Barbra
stressed
the
importance
research
plays
in
finding
a
cure.
"The statistics are
overwhelming, because more women die of heart disease than men now.
More women die of heart disease than all cancers combined. Everyone
has a woman in their lives, meaning a mother, a sister, a daughter. If
everyone would just send 5 dollars to the Women's heart center at
Cedars, we could raise so much money."
Visit
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute
for more information on their women's cardio health program. Last
year, Barbra took her campaign public by appearing as a call-in guest
on the popular medical talk show,
"The Doctors."
New
Donation
to
Launch
National
Campaign
Barbra Streisand returned to the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on July 3 to deliver an important speech about women's heart health, one of several speakers given exactly two minutes to deliver a message.
Barbra Streisand opened her home last night, performed a few songs, and raised several million dollars in her ongoing effort to battle women's heart disease.
Beamed
live around
the
country
this
morning,
Barbra
Streisand
gave
an
impassioned
speech
at
the
TedxWomen's
symposium
from
Beverly
Hills.
She
was
there
to
introduce Dr. C. Noel Merz,
director
of
the
Women's
Heart
Center
at
Cedars-Sinai.
Barbra
spoke
for
a
full
10
minutes
during
which
she
discussed
the
important
differences
between
men
and
women
in
detecting
and
preventing
heart
disease.
She
also
called
for
a
gender
balanced
approach
to
research.
Barbra
Streisand
was
presented
the
Cedars-Sinai
Board
of
Governors'
Humanitarian
Award
at a
fundraising
dinner
on
last
night.
Proceeds
from
the
event,
which
took
place
at
the
Beverly
Hilton
in
L.A.
will
go
to
the
Cedars-Sinai
Heart
Institute.
"What
could
be
more
gratifying
than
to
know
that
we
are
helping
women
live
longer
and
healthier
lives?
For
me,
I
was
shocked
when
I
first
learned
that
heart
disease
kills
more
women
than
all
cancers
combined.
For
every
woman
that
dies
from
breast
cancer,
ten,
perhaps
eleven,
die
from
heart
disease.
And
I
find
that
most
people
don't
know
that,
and
it's
time
they
did.
Every
woman
lost
is
someone's
mother,
sister,
wife,
daughter,
aunt,
friend,
and
that's
why
the
work
that's
being
done
at
Cedars-Sinai
Women's
Heart
Center
is
priceless.
May
30,
2011
Would
you
like
to
meet Barbra
Streisand
in
person
and
help
raise
money
for
the
Women's
Heart
Center
at
Cedars-Sinai?
Then
all
you
have
to
do
is
be
the
winning
bidder
at
the
special Charitybuzz
auction.
The
lucky
winner
will
visit
Barbra
on
the
Los
Angeles
set
of
her
upcoming
movie,
"My
Mother's
Curse"
sometime
this
summer.
The
special
auction
was
announced
on
Barbra's
web
site
this
morning.
"Please help me as I launch my first ever online campaign to raise money for research, treatment and education on women’s heart disease.