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