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WomenHeart
National Hospital Alliance

Comprising hospitals committed to advancing women’s heart health, the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance (NHA) is a partnership that seeks to ensure that women heart disease patients in every community have access to information, education, and patient support services.

A SIMPLE CONCEPT
As heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women and disproportionately impacts women of color, WomenHeart created its National Hospital Alliance to help ensure that women with heart disease in every community have access to quality patient care, education and support services. The WomenHeart NHA is comprised of hospitals committed to advancing women’s heart health partnering with WomenHeart to raise awareness, educate and advocate for women with heart disease.

2024 ENHANCEMENTS AND EXPANSION

As WomenHeart enters its 25th year of being the leading voice for millions of women living with or at risk for heart disease, we realized the need to enhance and expand our National Hospital Alliance as there is much to be done to improve the heart health of women in the U.S. Thus, WomenHeart has expanded the NHA to non-hospital entities including cardiac rehab centers, clinics, community health centers, and other health related entities. In addition, WomenHeart has changed its dues structure to include an Associate and a Premium level membership. Finally, because WomenHeart promotes hospitals that are members of the NHA, it has created new qualifications for being a member. These qualifications ensure members are actively working to improve heart health in women living with or at risk for heart disease.

WomenHeart Champions

WomenHeart Champions are women heart patients trained to provide heart health education, share their stories, speak about heart disease in women, lead Support Networks, lead awareness activities, and participate in advisory groups and panels. This enables them to represent your hospital at community events and with media and partner with you to support and educate women at risk for of living with heart disease in your community.

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Womenheart NHA Qualifications

  • Has a plan for caring for women presenting with and living with cardiovascular disease that is clear, unique to women’s care, and implemented in their facility.
  • Recognizes the benefits of peer support for women living with heart disease and supports the work of WomenHeart Champions in their community.
  • Understands the benefit of leadership training for WomenHeartChampions and supports one woman per year to attend Science andLeadership training.
  • Promotes the work of WomenHeart in creating awareness of heart disease in women and in educating women about heart disease and heart disease risk factors.
  • Supports dissemination of WomenHeart’s Red Bags of Courage, and other WomenHeart materials as appropriate.
  • Identifies one Liaison working with women living with cardiovascular disease who agrees to receive and share (as appropriate)communications from WomenHeart and respond as needed.
  • Displays WomenHeart’s Alliance logo to demonstrate their commitment and support of WomenHeart’s mission.

Become an NHA Member

By joining the NHA, your hospital has access to educational materials and programs developed by the nation’s medical leaders in women’s heart health, and access to the training and technical assistance required to establish and maintain a post-discharge support group for your women heart patients. Partner with WomenHeart to become a leader in your community in women’s heart health.

Download 2024 - NHA Pledge Form

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

This membership has $0 dues; however, we request that the hospital or health care facility supports one woman (financially and otherwise) to attend Science & Leadership training to become a WomenHeart Champion.

WomenHeart Champions
The hospital or healthcare facility will have access to WomenHeartChampions who will be trained and supported byWomenHeart. Champions can lead SupportNetworks, engage in patient visits, and participate in outreach opportunities, advisory groups, and other activities in partnership with NHA members.
Red Bags of Courage
Where possible,WomenHeart will provide Red Bags of Courage for women who are hospitalized or in cardiac rehab.These bags contain educational materials and other items for women in the hospital.
Education
Access to gender-specific patient education factsheets and educational modules.
Communications and awareness tools
WomenHeart will communicate monthly with NHA members and include social media awareness graphics and educational materials, especially during Heart Month and World Heart Day, that NHA members can share with their marketing team, patients and the public.
Listing on WomenHeart website
The hospital or health care facilities is listed on the WomenHeart website with a clear explanation of the requirements of membership so those reviewing that list can clearly seethe hospital or health care entity supports women and heart health for women.
Support
The hospital or health care facility will receive advice when planning activities and events for women.

PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP

This membership has $3,000 dues and includes all Associate Member benefits along with:

Recognition for activities promoting women’s heart health
If your hospital or health care facility is conducting an activity or event to promote women’s heart health, WomenHeart will share that information as appropriate on social media and/or in e-newsletter communications.
Quarterly mini-webinars
WomenHeart ScienceAdvisory Council members or other experts will discuss best practices for screening, diagnosing and managing care for women during quarterly mini-webinars. These will be recorded and be available toNHA members.
Education
An educational resource on identifying women leaders in your hospital or health care facility will be provided.
Lived-experience videos
WomenHeart will create short lived-experience videos for certain cardiovascular diseases and on communicating with patients who are women that will be available for medical students and health care professionals to help them understand what it is like to live with certain diseases along with barriers to diagnosis and care women may face. These will also include suggestions for care and communication from those who have firsthand experience—the patients themselves.
Champion Training

Complimentary registration fee, hotel and travel up to $500 for one woman to attend Science and Leadership training in-person.

Wenger Awards
The hospital or health care facility will receive 2 tickets to the Wenger Awards event.

How NHA Membership Benefits Your Hospital and Community

The Value of Your Membership
  • Position yourself as a leader in women’s heart health
  • Reinforce your commitment to women’s heart health and your community
  • Support the interest of your cardiovascular medical team
  • Establish a WomenHeart Support Network coordinated and led by a trained WomenHeart Champion
The Value of a Support Network
  • Serves as a communications channel to provide post-discharge education and emotional support
  • Increases support for patient compliance and adherence to post-discharge care
  • Increases patient satisfaction
  • Demonstrates community benefit as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
The Benefits to Your Hospital
  • Listed as a National Hospital Alliance member in WomenHeart communications, including a link to your hospital
  • Hospital-based WomenHeart Support Network listed on our support group map
  • Opportunities to participate in WomenHeart educational programs such as webinars and presentations
  • Stay current with WomenHeart through special announcements about relevant events and activities
  • Access to WomenHeart materials
  • Invitation to attend high-level colleagues in health care, public policy, and industry for WomenHeart’s premier event of the year at the annual Wenger Awards.
  • Support and technical assistance form WomenHeart
Contact Us

To join the National Hospital Alliance, contact us at nationalhospitalalliance@womenheart.org.

Annual NHA Membership & Dues

WomenHeart brings its unparalleled resources and programs to your hospital and community to empower women to take charge of their heart health! The partnership provides progressive hospitals committed to gender-specific cardiovascular care the opportunity to advance education and support for their women heart patients.

The WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance has two membership options.

Premier Membership
The Premier membership level is $3,000 per year (Jan 1 – Dec 31). The annual dues support your hospital’s partnership and support from
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease as collaborators in advancing women’s heart health. This membership includes access to WomenHeart resources, invitations to quarterly mini-webinars, complimentary tickets to the annual Wenger Awards, and additional financial support for Champion training.
Associate Membership
The Associate membership level provides access to WomenHeart resources and Champions but does not include access to certain opportunities, the annual Wenger Awards, or financial support for Champion training.
Why become a member?
  • Increases patient satisfaction and loyalty by providing post-discharge patient support by other women who are living with heart disease through peer to peer support
  • Increases value of the hospital brand and value in the community by delivering low-cost, volunteer-led WomenHeart Support Network for hospital and community
  • Leverages trained volunteers to speak on behalf of the hospital at local community events and distribute co-branded patient education materials
  • Demonstrates a significant contribution towards your community’s health

Frequently Asked Questions: NHA

What will happen once we join the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance (NHA)?
You will receive the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance Member Toolkit which includes all information necessary to activate and engage your hospital’s membership. The toolkit contains materials and information to help you recruit women heart patients to attend a WomenHeart Science and Leadership Symposium. Each membership year, each NHA hospital may send two women to the annual Science & Leadership Symposium to be trained as a Support Network Coordinator or Community Educator. You and your team will also receive an introductory call from the WomenHeart team to review the toolkit and answer questions.
How do we get women heart patients registered for the WomenHeart Science and Leadership Symposium?
WomenHeart will work with you to help identify two women heart patients from your hospital who want to support other women living with heart disease by becoming WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators or Community Educators. These women will attend the prestigious WomenHeart Science & Leadership Symposium at Mayo Clinic, or a regional equivalent, to be trained and educated by the nation’s leading authorities on women’s heart health about subjects including community relations, psychosocial and emotional aspects of support groups, and being a support group leader. Once trained, WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators will work with your hospital or cardiac rehab services staff to schedule, market, and hold monthly WomenHeart Support Network meetings for your patients.
How can I be confident in the volunteer leaders of our WomenHeart Support Network and the Community Educators?

You are working with the leading national organization in women’s cardiovascular health with a proven track record in training and maintaining effective patient support groups and conducting effective community education. While led by volunteers, WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators work closely with hospital clinicians and health education staff to develop each meeting’s program. Your hospital and the Support Network Coordinators receive WomenHeart educational materials, resources and tools on an ongoing basis to advance the knowledge and support provided to women. All of these resources are thoroughly reviewed and approved by the nation’s leaders in women’s cardiovascular health.

WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators stay current on issues in women’s heart health by attending the bi-annual WomenHeart Support Network Coordinator’s Conference for advanced training and updates on emerging trends, and by participating in WomenHeart continuing education webinars on a variety of topics e.g., diabetes, various heart conditions, nutrition and exercise. WomenHeart Champion Community Educators also regularly participate in continuing education and receive updated information materials for community education outreach.

Beyond the value of having a WomenHeart Support Network at my hospital, why else should we join the WomenHeart National Hospital Alliance?
WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators and Community Educators work regularly with hospital and cardiac rehab staff to participate in other hospital sponsored wellness activities, such as health fairs and educational programs, grand rounds and CME — providing a compelling patient voice. WomenHeart Support Network Coordinators may also establish ancillary patient support programs at the hospital including HeartScarves and Red Bag of Courage® (a visiting program for newly diagnosed women heart patients which provides support and an introduction to the post-discharge support group.)

National Hospital Alliance Members

Katz Institute for Women’s Health

Lenox Hill Hospital

Mercy Gilbert Medical Center

NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island

If you have any questions, please email nationalhospitalalliance@womenheart.org or call 202-728-7199.

Notice to those viewing this site: The National Hospital Alliance program is intended to assist alliance member hospitals in advancing women’s heart health. The program is not a hospital certification program nor presents any recommendations of hospitals or their care programs.