Rhode Island WISEWOMAN Program - While rates of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and stroke vary widely across Rhode Island, certain areas lack equitable access to health care. These are also areas with high levels of racial diversity, ethnic diversity, low income, and low rates of health insurance participation. The CDC’s Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMEN) program has been spearheading the Rhode Island Department of Health’s (RIDOH’s) efforts to promote equity in cardiovascular health for low income, uninsured, and underinsured women ages of 40-64 enrolled in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) since 2013. Over the last two decades, the RI WISEWOMAN Program (RIWWP) has conducted nearly 2,000 screenings with more than 1,500 women from some of the most economically disadvantaged, underserved, and racially and ethnically diverse areas across the state. The RIWPP intends to build on its current success and existing partnerships to expand culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate, patient-centered services to NBCCEDP participants ages 35-64 years old disproportionally at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The priority population for this grant is therefore defined by areas where all these conditions converge at the highest levels. Since 2013, the RIWWP has built a strong foundation to reduce health disparities and improve cardiovascular health for at-risk populations. Partnering with other chronic disease programs within RIDOH, other state agencies, statewide initiatives, health systems, and community-based organizations, the RIWWP proposes to expand the reach of the program and address social and structural barriers to the services it offers. The RIWWP will build on its existing relationships with Clínica Esperanza and the Rhode Island Free Clinic (RIFC) which focus primarily on the Cranston/Providence area. Under this proposed grant the RIWWP will deepen its connection to the Providence area, partnering with Open Door Health, a health center that focuses on serving the LGBTQ+ community. The RIWWP will also partner with Jenks Park Clinic, which has an established relationship in the Central Falls community and serves as a clinic of last resort for the uninsured. Addressing health inequities in CVD outcomes is at the heart of all proposed strategies, objectives, and activities included in this application. In program year one (PY1), the RIWWP proposes to enroll and screen 400 program-eligible women living in high-need geographic catchment areas identified using geographic information systems (GIS) analysis. The number of women enrolled will increase by 5% in each subsequent year of the program (PY2 = 420; PY3 = 440; PY4 = 465; PY5 = 490). All enrolled women (100%) will complete a CVD risk assessment, will be referred to a Healthy Behavior Support Service (HBSS) of their choosing, and will complete a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) that will identify any social and support services required to overcome barriers to RIWWP services. The target HBSS completion rate for PY1 will be 85%. All RIWWP participants (100%) with a barrier identified through the CHNA will be linked to appropriate social and support services offered through RIWWP internal and/or external partners. Key partners in linking RIWWP to social and support services will include Unite RI, the RI Health Equity Zone (HEZ) Initiative, and the RI Public Health Association (RIPHA). With 10 years of experience in conducting this work, an established HBSS referral system, a vast network of health system and community partners, innovative approaches to identifying priority populations using GIS analysis, and comprehensive evaluation and implementation strategies, the RIWWP is well-poised to start the proposed work upon receipt of funding.
