Each year beginning on Mother’s Day, National Women’s Health Week highlights women’s health issues to encourage women of all ages to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
America’s Essential Hospitals members are committed to spreading best practices for sustaining and improving women’s health. Here’s how some of our members are celebrating National Women’s Health Week.
A new initiative at Stamford Health, in Stamford, Conn., reframes the mammogram experience as a fun, self-care activity, which they’ve dubbed a “glammogram.” The health system will offer complimentary express manicures or massages on select dates during summer 2024 for patients who schedule a mammogram at Stamford Health’s Breast Center at the Tully Health Center. Members of Stamford Health’s Radiology and Breast Center teams, including Mia Kazanjian, co-director of Stamford Health’s Breast Center and Chief of Women’s Imaging, were onsite for the kickoff event on May 11, where 54 women booked screenings and mammograms. To learn more or book an appointment, visit their website or call 203.276.2510.
Essential hospitals care for marginalized groups that are more likely to experience poverty along with a disproportionate amount of harmful daily stressors and barriers, which exacerbate health inequities and disparities in chronic conditions. Recognizing this, members are creating innovative solutions to improve quality of and access to maternal and perinatal health care for these patients.
In May 2024, Broward HealthPoint, an affiliate of Broward Health, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Community Care Plan opened a new Maternity Care Center and Heart Community Resource Center in Lauderdale Lakes to mitigate maternal health disparities in central Broward County. Data indicates women in the area have traditionally had limited access to prenatal and postpartum care, which is a critical component of maternal health and positive birth outcomes. The new center will offer nutrition and exercise services, financial and health literacy classes, job training programs, public Wi-Fi, and more to support community members.
Observing the increased morbidity in pregnant and postpartum patients and the longstanding public health issues rooted in the pervasive risk of chronic conditions, Suzette Graham-Hill, MD, cardiologist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, in Brooklyn, N.Y., led the recent creation of a formalized multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics team to target needs across both specialties. This specialized care team focuses on cardiovascular risk through screening, management, expert consultation, antenatal monitoring, and patient education. Learn more in a session at VITAL2024, in San Diego, June 19–21, and discover similar sessions on perinatal care, community-based doulas, and more.
Alameda Health System, in Oakland, Calif., has joined Carnegie Hall and Noe Music to bring the Lullaby Project to birthing families. Through the project, musicians partner with families enrolled in the Centering Pregnancy program, a group perinatal care service for cohorts of birthing people and families who are expecting around the same time. Together, musicians and families write original lullabies in both English and Spanish. Program staff say singing and lullabies can have a positive impact on depression among mothers by allowing them to connect with their children through music.
How is your health system celebrating National Women’s Health Week? Email us at media@essentialhospitals.org.
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