Hear Your Heart: Tackling Health Disparities and Inequities for Women with Heart Failure
Heart failure impacts more than six million people nationwide, approximately half of which are women. Despite a similar prevalence of the chronic condition, women diagnosed with heart failure have worse outcomes compared to men. A deeper look reveals that among Black and Latina women with heart failure, negative health outcomes are magnified due to significant health disparities and inequities that exist in the management of the condition:
- Although professional guidelines show no difference in recommendations based on gender, healthcare professionals are less likely to adhere to guidelines in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in women, which can lead to undertreatment.
- Black and Latina women living with heart failure are less likely to be admitted to specialized cardiology units.
- Hispanic women on average are more likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier compared to non-Hispanics.
Hear Your Heart is a call-to-action for women with heart failure to prioritize their health with a goal of helping women to feel confident in asking for the resources they need to feel their best while managing the condition and be their own heart health success advocate. The initiative provides English and Spanish-language resources to women with heart failure, care partners and healthcare professionals to help manage care.
Heart failure care can be complicated, overwhelming and complex. Women need to feel empowered to put themselves first and get the support they need to better understand and manage their heart failure.
To learn firsthand about the impact of this program, watch this video featuring, Tannie, a woman living with heart failure, who shares her story and the importance of staying proactive in managing care.
For additional resources and educational information on managing heart failure care, visit HFHearYourHeart.com for English-language content or CuideSuCorazonIC.com for Spanish-language content.
MPR-US-102999