NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst celebrated the launch of its Women’s Heart Health Institute last week at its Elmhurst location at 79-01 Broadway.
The main missions of the Women’s Heart Health Institute are to eliminate disparities and increase gender equity in cardiovascular health among female patients. The Women’s Heart Health Institute will dedicate a high degree of focus and research to the impacts of heart health on women. It will also aim to provide individualized, comprehensive care for women patients with the goal of improving outcomes.
“We are thrilled to launch this much-needed program for women at our hospital,” NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst CEO Dr. Helen Arteaga-Landaverde said. “The neighborhoods we serve suffer from extremely high levels of cardiovascular disease, and women—our mothers, sisters, friends and other loved ones, deserve to have better care to address this issue. Elmhurst has a vital role to play in improving cardiovascular care for the women in our beloved community.”
Other services that this institute will offer include individualized cardiovascular care through laboratory testing and advanced imaging, promoting an interdisciplinary lifestyle, and nutritional, rehabilitative and social support to improve cardiovascular outcomes, providing comprehensive pre-conception risk assessments and cardiovascular care throughout pregnancy and running community partnerships and outreach campaigns to increase awareness on women’s cardiovascular disease.
“We are excited to launch the Women’s Cardiovascular Institute at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst,” NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Cardiology Department Associate Director Dr. Deborah Reynolds said. “Heart disease in women is underrecognized and therefore undertreated by both healthcare providers and the community. Our team of providers can take care of heart issues from the initial office visit to the most critical moments.”
The Department of Cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst treats an estimated 7,000 patients a year, with approximately 30% being women. The American Heart Association determined in a study that the leading cause of death for women is heart disease, which is responsible for one in three deaths among women every year. Additionally, 45% of women at least 20 years of age have cardiovascular disease, which is also the leading cause of death for new mothers.
“Many times, women feel symptoms but don’t get evaluated because of so many reasons – not enough time; it passed and it was probably nothing; I’m too young for anything to be really wrong,” Preventive Cardiology Director Dr. Gayatri Setia said. “Our Cardiovascular team will help explore symptoms and optimize heart health for our patients.”
“Women, when faced with critical heart moments, are less likely to receive care,” Cardiac Intensive Care Director Dr. Rosy Thachil said. “Women are less likely to receive bystander CPR during a cardiac arrest. Our Women’s Cardiovascular Institute focuses on raising awareness in our community about recognizing and responding to women’s cardiac emergencies.”
In addition to the hospital’s members and leadership, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz (District 39) was also present to celebrate the opening of the Women’s Heart Health Institute.
“Elmhurst Hospital is taking a critical step in fighting for the heart health for the women who mean everything to us—our mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers,” Assembly Member Cruz said. “For too long, women—especially women of color—have been overlooked in cardiovascular care, despite heart disease being their leading cause of death. This initiative is about dignity, equity and saving lives, ensuring that every woman in our community receives the specialized care she deserves.”
“We are very happy to launch the Women’s Heart Health Institute and further advance our Women’s Heart Health program to new heights through a comprehensive care model,” said Grace Ann Weick, ANP, Associate Executive Director of Clinical Operations and Ancillary Services. “Access to care is a priority for our cardiologists, and we are proud of the collaborative care model we have developed to ensure a seamless follow-up process and improve patient outcomes.”
