Sister to Sister

Many people realize that getting screened is one of the most important steps you can take to manage your heart health - even if you think you're healthy.  But what is it that makes a Sister to Sister screening so unique?  It is our Five Step Screening Intervention.   

The first step begins with the engagement of women to come to our Heart Health Fairs.  It includes encouraging them to take that first step to physically come to a Sister to Sister event and take time from their busy schedules.  By making that commitment to attend, women are taking responsibility for their own health, and that is a very powerful first step.

The second step in the program are the actual cardiovascular screenings, which include testing for HDL (good) cholesterol levels, Total cholesterol levels, HDL/Total ratio, blood glucose, blood pressure readings, Body Mass Index and waist circumference.  

The third step are the immediate, personalized results.  Once the blood work from the screening is processed, which takes about 7 minutes, the fair attendees are given detailed results which indicate if they are risk for any of the heart disease risk factors.  People can be deeply impacted by receiving their blood work results immediately and if any risk factors are detected, it is a very sobering and alarming realization that cannot be ignored.

The fourth step is the opportunity to sit down with a medical professional to review your screening results, discuss what the numbers mean and receive recommendations for lifestyle changes.  This is a true medical intervention.  It serves as a real wake-up call for thousands of women, as the onsite counseling sessions provide the tools to make behavior changes that can reduce your risk for heart disease, and ultimately, save your life! 

• In most instances, individuals have their blood work checked at the suggestion of their primary care physician, which involves making an appointment at a blood work laboratory, and then waiting up to two weeks to get the results.  Oftentimes, a nurse will call you and tell you that your numbers are fine, or suggest that you watch what you eat, and come back in six months.  The sense of urgency is gone, and the opportunity to sit down and discuss what it means with your doctor does not exist. 

That's why a Sister to Sister screening event is one of the only opportunities to receive FREE heart-health screenings with immediate results and personalized counseling sessons! 

The fifth step in the Sister to Sister Five Step Screening Intervention provides the follow-up that women need to make the healthy lifestyle changes that can reduce heart disease risk dramatically, and the support to take those first steps.  Women are encouraged to join the Sister to Sister Women's Heart Health Registry, a longitudinal database of 25,000 women committed to participating in heart health research studies in conjunction with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.  

The Heart Health Registry works to evaluate risk factors in women and explore behavioral interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk.  All members receive annual tracking of behavior and follow-up, which is what distinguishes Sister to Sister from other women's heart health programs.

The Sister to Sister website provides support tools which focus on preventing heart disease in women.  This one-stop resource provides comprehensive messaging on each major heart disease risk factor, and healthy living recommendations for positive behavior change.  With daily tips, interactive tools, screening locator, heart healthy recipes, and online community, the Sister to Sister website provides a setting of education and support for women across the country.

Working in tandem to provide a complete pool of resources for preventing heart disease in women, the Cardiovascular Online Cardiovascular Wellness Program from Brigham and Women’s Hospital offers a free, in-depth health risk assessment and personalized prevention plan for heart disease.  Results are available instantly along with access to a variety of cutting-edge tools to lower risk factors. 

This screening model is being replicated by Brigham and Women's Hospital at their community screening events.  If you are interested in learning how to bring this model to your hospital or community, please contact Sister to Sister's Director, Lisa Townsend. , please