A national heart health program for women has found its way to Flathead County as a pilot site for the free public initiative, with services provided by the county’s Logan Health clinics.
WISEWOMAN, an acronym for Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation, is a federally funded heart screening program for those without insurance or insurances with high deductibles between ages 35 and 64, who have an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.
The free program opened its Montana doors in August last year at three Logan Health clinics in Lakeside, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls, offering the zero-cost program to patients already seeing providers at those locations.
Last week, Logan Health extended the program’s reach to include those in the county not affiliated with a Logan Health provider by adding a primary care clinic in Kalispell to the list, where providers are able to accept new patients.
Malia Freeman, population health supervisor for the county, expressed excitement about having the program in the valley.
“Really, it’s unique because it’s capturing working-class women who maybe do already have insurance but are having issues meeting that deductible through their insurance,” Freeman said.
The state selected Flathead County Health Department as a pilot site due to the county’s positive track record implementing other chronic disease programs, said Joe Tabler, Logan Health liaison between the clinics, the county, and the state. So far, the county has six enrollees.
“It’s been a slow start, but again, because we had closed clinics, that was the problem,” Tabler said. “And it’s not anything we force anyone to. It’s self-admitting. If you want to do it, you can. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”
The county processes new enrollees in the program and sets up appointments with Logan Health clinics where providers conduct the screenings.
The program consists of three clinic appointments set over the course of a year. Participants undergo a comprehensive lab that the physician breaks down in the first visit, discussing cardiovascular health, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and recommended lifestyle modifications. Doctors will also refer patients to community health programs such as the National Diabetes Prevention Program and the Strong People Strength Program, or a program where they can borrow blood pressure cuffs for self-monitoring. Finally, they’ll send participants off with a passport book to track their progress.
“Cardiovascular health is a lifestyle change, and it takes you a number of tries at it to make all the changes you need,” said Tabler. “For instance, how many minutes of walking do I get a week? How many minutes of resistance exercise? And what are my diet patterns like as well? Am I eating heart healthy meals? Am I checking my blood pressure program?”
The follow-up visit is set at least six months after the first, Tabler said, to see how patients have progressed. Though the program only lasts a year, Tabler encourages participants to reapply the following year, if they’re still eligible.
“I’m really heavy duty into lifestyle,” Tabler said. “Now if we can get these gals into lifestyle programs too and change that, because a pill for every ill is not where we need to go. It’s a lifestyle change for every ill, and that’s how we’re going to create a healthier population in the time to come.”
Women interested in joining the program or determining whether they are eligible can visit the county’s WISEWOMAN website or call 406-758-2163.