In of August of 2015, a team of workers from the Emory Women’s Heart Center (EWHC) launched the 10,000 Women project in hopes of providing free heart screenings and cardiac health education to 10,000 women across Metro Atlanta.

Over the next few years, the project aims to raise awareness about the dangers and prevalence of cardiovascular disease in women, particularly in the African-American population, and to educate women on how to reduce cardiac risks.

“There was a time when people thought heart disease and heart attacks were a ‘man’s thing,’ but it’s actually more of a ‘female thing,’” said 10,000 Women project coordinator Molly Dunham-Friel.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for one in every three female deaths.

Genetic factors put African-American women at an even greater risk for conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes which lead to heart disease.

“The long term goal is to find out what we need to teach women and then see if that decreases the amount of African-American women dying from heart disease,” said Pamela Stanley, Emory cath lab manager and 10,000 Women volunteer. “Our primary goal is just to make people well.”

According to Dunham-Friel, women have a tendency to ignore symptoms such as jaw pain and nausea, which can be significantly different than symptoms experienced by men. 10,000 Women teaches women to recognize these symptoms and helps patients make healthy lifestyle changes.

“It’s one of those silent things you need to keep an eye on,” said Valerie Henry, medical assistant at the Emory Patient-Centered Primary Care Clinic and 10,000 Women volunteer. “Going out into the community is a way to get people to be more aware versus having [risk for heart disease] go undetected for years.” 

10,000 Women offers a much more comprehensive evaluation than many other screening programs. Volunteers and staff test patients’ blood pressure, height and weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and cholesterol levels, and later assess cardiac risks.

After they have been tested, participants have the opportunity to sit down with a cardiac professional to review results and to get references for further care as needed. Volunteers provide additional heart health education to help patients start making healthier choices.

Dunham-Friel said 10,000 Women “empowers women to be educated, to know their statistics, to know their health and to be engaged in it. We’re here as a support system; most folks are just really thankful that we’re coming to their community and giving them a free service.”

By hosting causal screening events at local churches and other community centers, 10,000 Women aims to reach a demographic of women who may otherwise not schedule regular health examinations.

“Some of the events are really fun,” Henry said. “The first event we worked was held by a sorority group; they had dancing and DJs and music … It just helps make healthcare a little more approachable.”

Six months after each screening event, 10,000 Women contacts participants to determine whether the intervention has prompted them to change their diet and exercise.

“If we change someone from high risk to low risk or even from high risk to lower risk, that’s important,” Dunham-Friel said. “If we can change 10,000 women’s lives in Atlanta, that’s a huge contribution to the community and to healthcare.”

Even after 10,000 Women have been screened, the research compiled throughout the project will enable the EWHC to contribute to a more extensive understanding of women’s heart disease. Information and test results are entered into a database called REDCap, which can then be used to analyze data, such as the trend between socio-economic backgrounds and health outcomes.

“To be able to identify, emphasize and develop some research [on women’s heart disease] is going to benefit women as a whole,” Henry said.

Dunham-Friel will be attending the annual Women’s Health Congress in Washington, D.C. to present the findings and goals of 10,000 Women in April.

Although 10,000 Women is still in its early stages, the response from patients and volunteers has been positive so far, and the project has already impacted 207 women across Metro Atlanta.

“It’s incredible to be able to be a part of these events and to see the supportive Atlanta community at work in a wider spectrum,” Henry said.

With continued support from the volunteers and patients alike, 10,000 Women wants to see women taking control of their own health.

“Your cardiac health is in your hands,” Dunham-Friel said.