Dear John,

On behalf of WomenHeart, I would like to wish you a joyous festive season and all the best for 2022. As we head into our holiday celebrations, I’d like to share a few highlights from 2021 and provide a bit of a preview as we look forward to the new year.

 

Coming into 2021, WomenHeart continued to be there for women living with and at risk for heart disease throughout the pandemic. WomenHeart played a critical role in connecting women with cardiologists and other experts to share information about accessing healthcare during this time and about COVID-19, the vaccine and how it all impacts women living with heart disease.

 

We also celebrated WomenHeart Champions this year in a big way, highlighting their hard work at our Wenger Awards in July and then following that up with our first-ever Champion Refresher course and a series of Town Halls at the end of the year. The dedication that Champions have demonstrated, especially in continuing to deliver on our mission during these times, is incredibly uplifting.

 

While our work with Champions continued, there was also a lot happening behind the scenes to reinforce the organization internally and make it more resilient for years to come. We are excited that the board of directors approved our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan with two main goals: to improve programs to better support our mission, while bringingfunders along in that pursuit, and to expand our reach to improve more women’s lives around the country. With these two overarching goals, the transformation of WomenHeart will continue to build organizational resilience and fortitude.

 

A key component of fortitude for any modern patient advocacy organization is its work in health equity. In 2022 WomenHeart will engage in a process to understand better the support needs of women most at risk and impacted by heart disease in the U.S., to identify the gaps in services and resources, and to improve our impact in those communities.

 

Our year was bookended by two important initiatives – the first one in January was a convening on the topic of delayed and missed diagnosis of heart disease in women, bringing together experts and patients, through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCORI) grant. The second one in November was a partnership with the Women’s Heart Alliance and their #GetHeartChecked campaign to raise awareness about the risk of heart disease in women. Expect to see more of these outreach efforts in the new year.

 

As we prepare to close out the year, my wish is that everyone is able to take a much-deserved rest and reflect on our collective resilience and optimism for a brighter future and a better WomenHeart. This wish is for WomenHeart Champions in particular, as they have put their all into ensuring that women don’t face their heart journeys alone.

 

A special thank you to those of you who were able to support WomenHeart this year. You kept our spirits boosted but more importantly, you kept the support of women with heart disease going with your continued financial support. Thank you!

 

Together, we are saving lives!