Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Louisiana's WISEWOMAN Program Initiative - Well-Ahead Louisiana (WAL), an initiative aimed at improving the health and wellness of Louisiana residents, is well positioned to carry out the aims of WISEWOMAN (WW). WAL has a statewide infrastructure to engage with organizations that provide Healthy Behavior Support Services (HBSS) empowering individuals to self-manage chronic diseases. Further, WAL has successfully partnered with health systems to implement strategies for improving hypertension outcomes. Key partners in these efforts have been Louisiana Breast & Cervical Health Program (LBCHP), Ochsner LSU Health Monroe, LSU Health Shreveport, and The Health Hut. Moving forward, we have expanded our partners to include Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Xavier University College of Pharmacy, American Heart Association (AHA), The National Cardiovascular Health Program, Tobacco Cessation Program, Louisiana Workforce Commission, HeartSense, and CareHalo Public Health. Collectively, these organizations provide care and resources to the under and uninsured individuals, including the WW population of women aged 35 – 64. WAL proposes to leverage the strength of these relationships to achieve the strategies of WW and provide screening, treatment, and referrals to women with or at-risk for cardiovascular disease. The aforementioned list of committed clinical partners, along with a number of pending partners (including University Medical Center, Care South, Lafayette General Medical Center) utilize EHR systems that allow for data reporting on key metrics for hypertension management to inform program evaluation and ongoing quality improvement. The EHRs, along with other health technology resources, will be leveraged to identify individuals eligible for WW and prompt clinicians to provide cardiovascular risk assessments. Care plans will include patient education, support from members of the care team such as primary care providers, community health workers (CHWs), nutritionists, dieticians, pharmacists, and referrals to HBSS. WAL will provide practice coaching to aid clinics in implementing a care workflow that ensures each eligible patient receives screening and follow-up. This will include training, documentation of referral templates and standard operating procedures, development of clinical decision support tools within the EHR, and the utilization of data to conduct quality improvement. Furthermore, WAL will provide our provider sites with either on-site or remote site navigators/CHWs to drive recruitment and retention of screenings and HBSS participation. The CHWs will be instrumental in developing and executing an effective and efficient site workflow conducive to the WW practices. In addition to screening and follow-up clinical care, the aforementioned partners can receive WW referrals from participating health centers as a part of WAL’s HBSS program. These programs include the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline, Xavier University College of Pharmacy Medication Therapy Management (MTM), The National Cardiovascular Health Self-Measured Blood Pressure Program, YMCA's Blood Pressure Self-Management Program, and local Diabetes Prevention Programs. Clinicians can utilize the WAL Community Resource Guide to identify these and other local resources. WAL is committed to providing a network of social services and support for the women in the WW program. While many women eligible for WW are currently seen by participating health clinics, WAL will undertake several activities to ensure that all eligible women within the community are reached. This includes educating the women and ensuring health literacy within this population. Targeted messaging, media content, and other communication materials will be developed and utilized for public awareness and promotion of the program’s initiatives. WW compliments existing partnerships and programs, and aligns with WAL’s vision to reduce the burden of chronic disease through cardiovascular health and health equity advancement.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).