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2/3 of caregivers in the U.S. are women.
When these women—particularly Black and Latina women—are so focused on caring for others, they may forget to prioritize their own care. Hear Your Heart is a rallying cry for women living with heart failure to put their heart health first. Its goal is to help them feel more confident in requesting the resources they need to feel their best, while managing their condition and acting as their own heart success advocate.
Nationwide, heart failure accounts for more than 1 million hospitalizations every year. |
In the U.S. alone, heart failure affects more than 6 million people.
Heart failure is a chronic and debilitating condition that occurs when the heart isn’t pumping enough blood for the body’s needs, which can severely affect a person’s quality of life and accounts for more than 1 million hospitalizations every year.
The health disparities and inequities for women with heart failure highlight a clear unmet need that demands the attention of patients, care partners and healthcare professionals. Together, we must do more.
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Treating patients equally isn’t always enough.
Black and Latina women with heart failure face additional inequities that remain unaccounted for and can severely impact their care and overall health.
- More women than men die of heart failure, despite an equal prevalence
- Black women with heart failure have a higher mortality rate compared to white women
- Heart disease—which includes heart failure—is the second leading cause of death for Latina women
- Black and Latina women face a variety of social determinants of health including health literacy, socioeconomics and environmental influences that can contribute to poor health outcomes
- Black and Latina women with heart failure are less likely to be admitted to specialized cardiology units
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Our “Ultimate Guide to Heart Failure Care” offers lifestyle tips, insights and information to empower women—especially Black and Latina women—to prioritize and champion their own heart health.
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We spoke with Black and Latina women to identify specific nutrition, transportation and health literacy challenges that prevent them from accessing the heart care they need. Their insights and experiences inspired actionable ideas that can help healthcare professionals tailor their approach to provide better care to each woman with heart failure.