The St. Elizabeth Medical Center has been funded by the Office of Women’s Health and the Department of Health and Human Services to expand the previously existing Women Take Heart Program into the Northern Kentucky Women’s Cardiovascular Assessment, Risk reduction and Education (CARE) Collaborative, a focused initiative bringing more than 16 partner organizations together to meet Healthy People 2010 Heart Disease and Stroke goals. The Northern Kentucky Women’s CARE Collaborative is designed to counter the dismal prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Kentucky. According to the American Heart Association, 38% of all deaths in Kentucky are caused by heart disease or stroke. Kentucky ranks 47th worst in state mortality for heart disease among Caucasian women and first in the nation in individuals currently smoking (2005) with 28.5% of adults smoking (KDPH and CDC, 2005; BRFSS, 2006).

The CARE Collaborative Program including screening and outreach efforts is anticipated to reach over 16,000 women ages 20 to 80 in the first year and greater than 75,000 individuals (predominantly women) by completion. The program will provide blood pressure screening and cardiovascular health education to women in general and intensive lifestyle interventions for women with established cardiovascular disease risk factors. The CARE Collaborative efforts include a major community hospital system, 20 medical offices, up to 70 local churches, other community businesses, and the 8 Health Departments of Boone, Kenton, Grant, Campbell, Gallatin, Carroll, Pendleton and Owen counties in Kentucky.