At the heart of health equity

Health disparities and inequities can affect so many in different ways. Heart failure is a chronic condition which impacts more than six million people in the United States – approximately half of which are women. Despite a similar prevalence of the chronic condition, women diagnosed with heart failure most often have a worse outcome when compared with men. A closer look reveals that especially among Black and Latina women with heart failure, negative health outcomes are further magnified due to significant health disparities and inequities that exist in the management of the condition:

• Heart diseases are the second leading cause of death for Latinas. 
• Black women with heart failure have a higher mortality rate.
• Some Black and Latina women are less likely to be referred to specialized cardiology units.
• Healthcare providers can be less likely to adhere to guidelines when treating women compared to men, leading to potential undertreatment.
• A variety of social determinants of health, including health literacy, socioeconomics and environmental influences, can contribute to poor health outcomes like higher rates of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure

On top of these specific health disparities and inequities, women who also take care of their loved ones, frequently deprioritize their own health: According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two out of every three care partners in the U.S. are women, and women who are care partners have a greater risk for poor physical and mental health.

Promoting health equity for underserved communities 

The gap in healthcare is clear: Black and Latina women with heart failure are not getting the best care, despite living in a country with an overall high health standard. Together with the Lilly Alliance, the U.S. Communications team created a program to tackle health disparities and inequities specifically for women living with heart failure, especially Black and Latina women, called Hear Your Heart. “Black and Latina women face many unique challenges and barriers that prevent optimal care,” says Jennifer Forsyth, Director, Human Pharma Communications USA. “Education and access to the right resources can help close these gaps in care.”

By targeting Black and Latina women living with heart failure, Hear Your Heart relates to a key objective of Boehringer Ingelheim: contribute towards eliminating health disparities around the globe. Through our Sustainable Development – For Generations (SD4G) framework, we are committed to  reaching 100 million people in vulnerable communities by 2030. Thus, a company-wide definition of underserved communities provides a credible and consistent approach to identify affected populations and to improve health equity for these groups.

Following the new definition in place, HYH primarily addresses barriers identified in social inequalities such as Gender and Ethnicity. The program has also identified pockets of vulnerabilities existing amongst Black and Latina Women with heart failure, including Health Status (living with higher risk of NCDs and multi-morbidity), Health Care (low access to evidence-based care) and Health Literacy by addressing language gaps. 

Educating women to increase access to health care

Hear Your Heart (HYH) was launched in April 2022, timed to National Minority Health Month, and followed by the Spanish language extension Cuide Su Corazón in December of last year. As an educational initiative, it aims to empower Black and Latina women to prioritize their care, feel more confident asking for the support they need to manage their condition – and thus be able to expect more from their care. 

With these goals in mind, HYH offers English and Spanish content hubs with educational information on health disparities and inequities in heart failure care. They include downloadable action plans for Black and Latina women, their care partners and healthcare professionals. Additionally, patient and expert stories are successfully shared in national and local health and wellness outlets reaching Black and Latina women.

In just a little more than a year, the HYH program achieved 1.8 million video views, more than 22 million social impressions and 20 original articles with over 90 million impressions. It has also motivated action of its audience by providing online educational resources and tools, with 2,800 downloads, 124,500 clicks from social ads and 108,000 visits to the program content hub. 

Together, these resources aim to help these women to better understand their heart health, determine how they can take a more proactive role in their care and become their own heart success advocate.