This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Nebraska’s WISEWOMAN program screens low-income, uninsured women
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
A prevention program for low-income women has yielded positive results in at least one state, according to a report published at healthreform.gov.
The WISEWOMAN community intervention program in Nebraska is designed to provide heart disease and stroke screening and counseling for low-income women or for women who are not insured. The program, started in 2000, is funded by the CDC. There are 21 WISEWOMAN programs nationwide, and officials hope to expand the program even more broadly.
According to the report, the program refers women with test results indicative of higher CV risk or stroke risk to local health care providers. The program also offers women with elevated risk a choice of attending a four-week community class at Nebraska University to provide information designed to help them reduce their risk factors.
According to the report, the nationwide WISEWOMAN initiative has helped reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases in more than 84,000 women. In Nebraska, the initiative has provided screening for more than 19,000 women. According to the report, there has been a 5.4% reduction in 10-year estimated chronic heart disease risk and a 7.5% reduction in five-year estimated CVD risk. In addition, smoking incidence has decreased by 7.1% since the inception of the program.