WomenHeart aims to provide patient support services to multicultural women living with heart disease

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease today launched a national patient survey that will glean important information to better understand the patient support needs of multicultural women living with heart disease – the leading cause of death in women. The survey results will be used to help develop patient support programs for these women and empower them to take charge of their heart health. The survey is sponsored by Edwards Lifesciences' Every Heartbeat Matters initiative, which aims to educate, screen, and treat 1 million people by 2020 to reduce the global burden of heart valve disease, and is partnering with WomenHeart to educate multicultural communities in the U.S.

The survey is live from August 21 to September 11, 2015 for women who qualify. The multicultural communities survey can be taken via smartphone (mobile or by telephone), tablet, desktop or paper. The paper-based survey can be self-administered or interviewer-administered as there will be bilingual staff ready to take calls for those who want to complete the survey over the phone by calling 1-800-336-4797.

Those who meet the following criteria are encouraged to take the survey here:
English: https://iqsolutions.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3xYnIkgyjk2BZBP
Spanish: https://iqsolutions.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1MI9m7lxn82NqBv

• Women only
• Non-Caucasian / non-White
• African American/Black, Hispanic/Latina, Asian/Asian American, American Indian/Native American/Alaska Native/Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
  • Can be bi-racial or multi-racial
• Have experienced a heart event, diagnosis or procedure
• 18 years of age or older
• Able to read or comprehend English or Spanish
• Have access to the Internet and/or a telephone

Women who have previously completed other recent WomenHeart surveys are eligible to take the multicultural communities survey if they meet the above criteria. Everyone is encouraged to forward this information to a woman they know that had or has any heart disease condition.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and kills more women each year than all cancers combined. Psychosocial and emotional support coupled with educational resources has been shown by WomenHeart to have a dramatically positive impact on patient outcomes among women living with heart disease.

"WomenHeart is committed to providing free patient support services to multicultural, high-risk and underserved women as a way to eliminate disparities in heart disease care and outcomes," said Mary E. McGowan, CEO, WomenHeart. "This survey will help WomenHeart ensure that our proven model of peer-led patient support, coupled with additional offerings of online, telephone, email and in-hospital visitation programs, supports the wide diversity of women heart patients to live stronger, heart healthier lives," she added.

In 2014, Edwards Lifesciences provided a capacity building grant to WomenHeart through its Every Heartbeat Matters initiative which aims to educate, screen and treat 1 million underserved people by 2020 to reduce the global burden of heart valve disease and is partnering with WomenHeart to educate underserved women in the U.S. The grant enabled WomenHeart to bring 8 hospitals that primarily care for underserved and high-risk women to membership in the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance – a partnership between WomenHeart and progressive hospitals that are committed to advancing women's heart health.