Background
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. In 2002, CVD accounted for 38 percent of all deaths in the United States, surpassing the mortality rate of any other individual disease. Pronounced disparities exist in the distribution of CVD in the U.S. population by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Historically, the Women’s Health Network (WHN), an important safety-net program, offers preventive health screening and diagnostic services to an otherwise underserved and diverse group of low-income women across Massachusetts who have no other opportunity to receive these services. Eligibility for WHN services included Massachusetts residency, family household income equal to or less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level, have no other insurance that covers the services provided, and age 40 to 64, with age exemptions according to established clinical indications.
In 2006, Health Care Reform was implemented in Massachusetts, making health insurance mandatory for all Massachusetts adults age 19 and older. A significant number of women formerly receiving care under WHN were moved onto Commonwealth Care, a newly- created state-subsidized insurance mechanism.
In response to this change, the WHN program has developed a new comprehensive model (WHN/MHP*) in participating centers. As of July 1, 2008 it offers:
-
Patient Navigation
-
Case Management
-
Risk Reduction Education
-
Lifestyle Intervention
While the WHN/MHP* model has expanded to provide services for men, the ASIST 2010 project will only study the impact of Health Care Reform on breast and cervical cancer screening utilization and cardiovascular disease outcomes among women.
*Men's Health Partnership (MHP)
Send Feedback to:
Audrey Carr
This page was last modified on 12/12/2012