Streisand gives LA hospital $5M to fight heart disease

[April 17, 2008]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Barbra Streisand has put her money where her heart is. The 66-year-old singer-actress has donated $5 million to endow a research and education program on women's heart disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The hospital on Wednesday announced the new Barbra Streisand Women's Cardiovascular Research Education Program.

Dr. Eduardo Marban, who directs the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, said cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading killer of women -- responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths a year -- but most research on heart disease revolves around men.

Streisand said women must get involved in reducing risks for heart disease. The new program will conduct trials on new drugs for women, try to identify the role of gender in heart disease, and work on other ways of reducing risks.

[Associated Press]

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