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Deaconess Hospital officials say women make 80 to 90 percent of health care decisions in their families, making managing their own health care all the more important.

The Oklahoma City hospital begins a new program, "Healthy Woman,” next week to help women avoid heart disease and other medical problems.

The program will include a series of monthly seminars, health fairs, educational programs and interactive events focusing on women's health. Most events are free.

"We understand that women are responsible for nearly all the health care decisions for their family and that can be a huge burden,” said Cathy Hibbs, Deaconess' chief executive officer. "Not only having to just care for their children, many women now face having to make decisions about the health and well-being of aging parents.

"Women so rarely put themselves first, and sometimes find it difficult to find a balance between work and family commitments. Healthy Woman is a great opportunity for women to take time for themselves — even if it's just for an hour a month.”

The program begins Thursday at Will Rogers Theater, 4322 N Western, with a free health fair. The fair goes from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

The fair is followed by a dinner featuring a nationally noted motivational speaker who will address women's health and life-balance issues. The cost for the presentation and dinner is $20.

Dr. Suzanne Metzger, an 11-year breast-cancer survivor, is the featured speaker. She has had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

Metzger co-authored "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with Breast Cancer.”

Monthly presentations will cover physical and emotional health care, as well as financial well-being and spiritual development.

Health care topics will include information on heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, menopause, nutrition, osteoporosis and stress management.

"There is an abundance of new research that shows a woman's body is not simply a smaller version of a man's,” said Cathy Hibbs, Deaconess chief executive officer. "This research is increasingly important both in recognizing and treating women's illnesses and diseases.”

For example, there are significant differences in the area of heart disease. Women's symptoms are generally not the same as those of men, Hibbs said.

Each year since 1984, more American women than men have died of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association. Recent surveys show most women don't know heart disease is one of the top killers of women, Hibbs said.