Community Center of Excellence in Women's Health: A cross departmental, hospital based approach to community education & outreach to address women's health across the lifespan

Women are especially important in regards to health care, making approximately 80% of health care decisions for their families.  In 2002, Christiana Care’s Center of Excellence in Women’s Health initiated a collaborative effort cutting across departmental silos to leverage resources and expertise. Our goal is to connect women and families to health care services, community programs and health education. Internal and external community partnerships are essential to our work. Two signature outreach and educational programs include a Women’s Health Lecture Series, addressing women’s health across the lifespan and our annual Dance Your Heart event promoting physical activity to prevent heart disease.  This year marks our 12^th annual Domestic Violence Prevention Forum and 10^th annual Visiting Professor program.  Other programs include Living with Diabetes for Spanish-speaking patients; parenthood classes in underserved neighborhoods and an access to care program for homeless women. We launched No Heart Left Behind, an intergenerational prevention program that teaches heart health to high school students and their mothers. Our annual awards program recognizes volunteers making an impact on women’s health. We provide internship experiences for nursing students, masters and doctoral students. The CCOE reaches approximately 2000 women annually reaching a diverse racial/ethnic audience. The ROI results for the women’s lecture series reveal an average $22.52 return per $1 spent in marketing. The CCOE has built and sustained professional and community based educational programs over twelve years, serving women across the lifespan. Our model engages multiple departments, leaders and statewide partnerships to better serve women and their families.