Press releases

Released March 26, 2001
Yale-New Haven Hospital news release

Hospital is Model for National Project on Women & Heart Attacks
New Collaborative Approach to Change Behavior of Physicians & Women

For more information, contact:
Tameca Wilson, Yale-New Haven Hospital, (203) 688-2490
Lynn Gentry, VHA Inc., (972) 830-0798
Charlotte Evans, Carter Ryley Thomas, (804) 675-8136

New Haven, Conn. - Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and women will continue to die from heart attacks and heart disease unless a new approach is taken. Today, Yale-New Haven Hospital introduces a model program as part of a new national initiative to change women's behavior about heart disease.

VHA Inc., a national alliance of 2,100 hospitals and their physicians, is collaborating with Yale-New Haven to implement the first hospital-based program. This initiative is geared toward changing the way physicians approach prevention, detection and treatment of women with heart disease. It will also raise awareness and change behavior among women about steps they can take to prevent heart attacks and how to recognize when a heart attack is occurring, since the symptoms can be different for women.

The American Heart Association congratulates VHA on its efforts to fight heart disease in women.

"Heart disease claims more female lives than any other disease, and every year since 1984, more women than men have died of cardiovascular disease," said Rose Marie Robertson, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. "We believe that combining our efforts with VHA Inc. and their hospitals, such as Yale-New Haven, will strengthen our fight against heart disease in women."

To develop the new model for care, VHA conducted benchmarking research on the attitudes and awareness women in the New Haven community have about women and heart disease. Market Strategies, Inc. facilitated focus groups and randomly interviewed 299 women aged 40 - 70 by telephone.

"Our research revealed a real 'disconnect' for women about women and heart disease," said Nancy J. Wilson, M.D., M.P.H., vice president in VHA's Clinical Affairs Division. "Many of the women surveyed have risk factors such as high cholesterol and obesity, yet they don't recognize that these risks can directly lead to heart attacks. In comparison, the first thing a woman thinks of when she feels a lump is cancer."

Key research findings:

• The majority of respondents, 51 percent, believe that breast cancer poses the greatest threat to their health. In reality, 43.3 percent of women die from cardiovascular disease and only 4 percent of women die from breast cancer.
• Eighty-five percent of the New Haven participants qualify as being at risk for heart disease, yet only 30 percent have been diagnosed or perceive themselves to be at risk.
• Physicians and their female patients are not initiating conversations with each other about heart disease. Three out of four women would prefer to get information about heart disease from their physician; yet, 77 percent of the women who have obtained information about heart disease said the information did not come from their physician's office.
• New Haven women know what they are supposed to do to combat heart disease, but they are not doing it. Only 24 percent of women have initiated discussions with their doctor about the risk of heart disease, 9 percent have participated in a heart screening and only 11 percent have completed a self-assessment risk profile.

"Our challenge is to get women to act, " said Teresa Caulin-Glaser, M.D., a cardiologist at Yale-New Haven Heart Center. "The problem is women are delaying seeing their physicians or going to a hospital emergency department when experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. In this campaign, we're giving women tools to help them be more assertive in seeking rapid and appropriate care. And, educating our physicians about their role in treating women for this illness."

To reach the goal of reducing heart attacks and heart disease, Yale-New Haven physicians and staff will implement an aggressive awareness campaign to educate women. The hospital will promote the new Women's Heart Line (688-9570 or toll free 866-HEART10) and distribute "Actions" cards that explain how women can take control of their heart health. Cardiologists will be working with family physicians and obstetricians/gynecologists to encourage them to discuss risk factors and diagnostic testing with their patients, especially the need to seek immediate medical care when patients have heart symptoms.

Yale-New Haven physicians, clinicians and researchers will gather and analyze data including: how long it takes women from the onset of heart attack symptoms to receive a doctor's care in the emergency department or the Chest Pain Center; the number of women who are seen in the emergency department or Chest Pain Center; and the number of women who call the Women's Heart Line to request "Actions" cards and heart health tests. VHA will coordinate the distribution of evidence-based information to providers and patients, develop web-based information and tools and will assist in education development for the initiative. VHA will conduct a follow-up survey within the next six months to assess changes in women's awareness and attitudes.

VHA is expected to launch similar programs in other member health care organizations across the nation later this year.

See also Heart Advantage on this Web site.

About Yale-New Haven Hospital
Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) is a 944-bed tertiary referral center that includes the 201-bed Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital and the 76-bed Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. The primary teaching hospital for Yale University School of Medicine (YSM), Yale-New Haven's medical staff is enhanced by 471 supervised house staff physicians (residents) who add around-the-clock coverage and sharp inquisitive minds to patient care.

About VHA Inc.
VHA is a nationwide network of more than 2,100 leading community-owned health care organizations and their affiliated physicians. The VHA alliance comprises 27 percent of the nation's community hospitals, including many of the nation's largest and most respected institutions. VHA offers programs and services to improve financial and clinical performance, and as a cooperative distributes income annually to members based on their participation. In December 2000, VHA was named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the second consecutive year by Fortune.

Reporters: For more information, call 203-688-2490 or E-mail.

Return to News Release Index

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.