Despite the headline-grabbing pandemic still wreaking havoc in our daily lives, the health care professionals at Key West’s Womankind are urgently reminding Keys residents that COVID hasn’t canceled out other health concerns, such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, breast cancer and a host of other issues.
For the past 11 years, Womankind has teamed up with Zonta service club every March to offer the Zonta Heart Health Program to uninsured women of the Florida Keys.
“In light of so much attention being placed on COVID-19, Womankind and Zonta aim to ensure that basic preventative health measures are not being ignored,” said Cali Roberts, Womankind executive director.
“Heart disease remains the number-one killer of women,” she said. “And cardiac events in women can have different symptoms than in men. For instance, lower back pain or cramping can actually be a symptom of a heart problem in women. So it’s important for women to know how healthy their heart is, or how vulnerable they are to problems that can be prevented with diet, exercise, weight loss or medication.”
The Zonta initiative provides a free basic health overview and risk assessment for heart disease for uninsured women of the Florida Keys. Participation in the program involves two visits, one for a blood draw and one for a discussion of the results. This year’s initiative is free for new, uninsured Womankind patients, while returning patients will receive a discounted price of $99, rather than the usual $214 for the screenings and follow-up care.
Zonta Heart Health patients are scheduled for an initial intake and blood work appointment. A risk assessment questionnaire is completed and a blood draw is tested for the complete blood count (CBC); complete metabolic panel (CMP); thyroid-stimulating hormone; and a lipid panel consisting of triglycerides, cholesterol and HDL. A follow-up appointment is scheduled with a Womankind provider to discuss the results. Zonta picks up the $214 tab for all the services for new patients.
If additional follow-up is necessary, Womankind’s partnership with the Health Foundation of South Florida allows primary care patients to have visits with a practitioner on a sliding fee scale.
With qualifying proof of income, the cost for ongoing treatment visits can be reduced 25% to 75% from the full cash price.
To make this opportunity available to the most women, eligible participants must be uninsured and new patients to Womankind.
Zonta Heart Health runs through the month of March. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 305-294-4004.
