WISEWOMAN program provider cardiovascular screening services

Solicitation #2026-RFA-119. Issued by Women's Health. Mississippi Healthcare providers who are enrolled in the MS-Breast and Cervical Cancer Programs are invited to participate in this Request for Applications to become a primary or secondary provider of the MSWISEWOMAN Program. Support provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation, the WISEWOMAN) The program extends preventive medical health services to achieve optimal cardiovascular disease (CVD) health for women aged 35-64 who participate in the CDC-funded National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). To allow MS-BCCP Providers an opportunity to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in the target population by early enhanced screening and evaluations. The CDC’s Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) program is at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to improve cardiovascular health for low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and underserved participants. The intent is to expand medical services to NBCCEDP participants aged 35-64 to address cardiovascular health concerns in a population that are made vulnerable through social and non-medical health needs. Extensive scientific evidence-based links non-medical factors, including economic opportunities and systemic racism, with poor health outcomes and increased mortality rates. These factors, commonly referred to as social and non-medical health needs, also explain long-standing disparities in cardiovascular health across racial and ethnic groups and between men and women. While improvements in CVD mortality have been made and life expectancy has increased for all Americans, women continue to experience a disproportionately high mortality rate, and health inequities by race and ethnicity persist. For example, Black and Native American women experience higher rates of total cardiovascular disease, coronary disease, and stroke deaths when compared to white women. Increased efforts to target risk factors and achieve equitable outcomes through culturally-focused interventions are urgently needed. Better health outcomes in priority populations can be achieved by implementing interventions that disrupt health disparities that are compounded by social conditions. The American Heart Association notes that clinicians should consider factors that affect individuals, such as the social and non-medical health needs, to inform treatment decisions. Public health interventions that focus on advancing health equity are critical.