VHA's Women's HeartAdvantage Signs 100th Health System

Hospital-Based Program Educates Women and Physicians About Heart Disease, Improve Care

VHA Inc. has signed Premier Health Partners in Dayton, Ohio as the 100th VHA health system to participate in its Women's HeartAdvantage program. Women's HeartAdvantage is a nationwide initiative to change consumer and physician behavior about heart disease -- the No. 1 killer of women. Since the program launched in February 2001, more than 250 hospitals, reaching nearly 120 million Americans, have improved cardiac care for women and increased women's awareness about the disease.

A VHA survey of more than 50,000 women across the country showed that only 33 percent view heart disease as their greatest health risk. In addition, women often experience different heart attack symptoms than men and delay getting medical treatment.

"There is a lack of awareness that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the Greater Miami Valley," says Libby Donathan, manager of the Premier HeartCare Network. Two of Premier Health Partners' facilities, Miami Valley Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, will participate in the program.

According to Peter Plantes, M.D., vice president at VHA, "Our best defense against this disease is to arm patients with knowledge so that they will seek immediate care and initiate the life-saving practices that help them avoid cardiovascular disease altogether."

VHA, an alliance of 2,200 health care organizations, has helped health systems across the country implement the Women's HeartAdvantage program, the first hospital-based program to address women and heart disease. The program's goals include:

--  Teaching women how to identify heart attack symptoms
--  Encouraging them to seek immediate medical treatment
--  Helping hospitals develop cardiac programs specifically designed for
    women
--  Improving clinical outcomes
    

Women's HeartAdvantage also focuses on engaging health care providers in health practices that promote optimal outcomes for women with heart disease. The program provides doctors and clinicians with the medical evidence, training and tools to be more effective when speaking to female patients about heart disease.

According to VHA research, the Women's HeartAdvantage program has raised women's awareness that heart disease is their greatest health threat by an average 15 percent. The study also showed that women are 24 percent more likely to share their knowledge of heart disease among family and friends than before they learned the signs and symptoms of a heart attack through their local hospital's program.

"It has been tremendously exciting to see how many health care organizations are focused on this underserved audience," said Anne Theis, VHA's senior director of product development and program manager. "Participating hospitals are committed to changing awareness and behavior, and are striving to be experts in women's heart care and provide superior clinical excellence around heart disease."

For more information on women and heart disease, visit www.womensheartadvantage.org.

About Premier Health Partners

Premier Health Partners includes Miami Valley Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Middletown Regional Hospital and a network of more than 100 primary care physicians. With headquarters in Dayton, it serves residents of nine counties in west central Ohio.

About VHA Inc.

VHA is a nationwide network of 2,200 leading community-owned health care organizations across the United States. VHA comprises nearly 25 percent of the nation's community hospitals, including many of the nation's largest and most respected institutions. VHA supports members' efforts to improve their clinical and operational performance. If you are a member of the media and require more information about the Women's HeartAdvantage program, please contact Lynn Gentry at (972) 830-0798 or lgentry@vha.com.

Distributed by Market Wire