BOA Grant to Norma Pfriem Breast Center at Bpt. Hospital Improves Healthcare Access

BRIDGEPORT, CT: Few women are aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. A grant of $25,000 from Bank of America to the Norma Pfriem Breast Center at Bridgeport Hospital will support the Wisewoman heart health screening program for uninsured women in the Bridgeport community where women face a variety of barriers to healthcare. 

The Norma Pfriem Breast Center, a leader in breast cancer care, has an extensive outreach program to educate and screen women in high risk communities.  Through this grant, the breast center will build on their success to educate women scheduled for breast cancer screening about heart health risk factors and enroll them in screening, wellness and lifestyle programs. 

Participants receive a baseline biometric screening and are offered three health coaching sessions with a community health navigator. Coaching focuses on lifestyle changes to diet and exercise that can help women with their heart health goals. After, patients who are interested and motivated can enroll in free wellness and lifestyle programs, such as nutrition counseling, gym membership, blood pressure monitoring, medication management, behavioral health counseling and others, all paid for by the program. The community health navigator checks in with clients regularly to answer questions and verify their participation.

“Combining two health screenings makes it easy for women to participate in early detection programs,” says Donna Twist, PhD, executive director of the Norma Pfriem Breast Center. “We’re grateful to Bank of America for helping us increase healthcare access to high risk women.”

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital). Both Bridgeport Hospital and the Milford Campus of Bridgeport Hospital serve patients throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community.  www.bridgeporthospital.org

PHOTO: Community Health Navigator Janet Gomes screens women for the Wisewoman program, a heart health screening program for uninsured patients.  Janet screened women who had appointments at the state-of-the-art mobile mammography van at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Bridgeport.