Taking heart

Laura Pinto made her case for a Women's Heart Program at Washoe Medical Center with numbers like the one that shows that 1 woman in 2.4 will die from heart problems in comparison with the 1 in 29 who will die of breast cancer.

She made her case, too, by encouraging Washoe Medical executives to walk around town, in shopping centers and in casinos, to see the prevalence of heart risks among northern Nevada women.

And Pinto, the director of cardiovascular services with Washoe Medical Center, closed the deal by showing her bosses how she could use passionate employees and relatively little cash to create a Women's Heart Program that's among the first of its type in the nation.

The program, housed at The Plaza Building, 1500 E.

Second Ave.

Suite 403, begins work this month.

Its opening comes as the issues surrounding heart disease in women are moving higher into the public consciousness.

Heart disease is the top killer of American women claiming nearly 500,000 a year even though many Americans think of heart disease as a killer of men.

When men come to the hospital complaining of chest pain, Pinto says,medical personnel immediately suspect a heart attack.

A woman suffering a heart attack is more likely to feel fatique or shortness of breath symptoms that can have a variety of causes.

And diagnostic tests developed to test the hearts of men aren't always effective in diagnosing heart disease in women.

The upshot, Pinto says, is that women often are diagnosed with heart disease only after it's well advanced, and they often die sooner than men who are diagnosed earlier.

The staff of the Women's Heart Program is taking a three-pronged approach to build momentum for the start-up program.

They plan to be highly visible at health fairs, community health screenings and other events where they can build awareness about heart health among women and their families.

Pinto and her team also will be working with primary-care physicians as well as specialists in women's health to make sure women with heart disease are diagnosed early and well.

And, in the meantime, the program's staff will be conducting screenings and diagnostic tests at the program's clinic on the downtown campus of Washoe Health Center.

In many cases, Pinto says women will be referred to other specialists ranging from cardiac physicians to smoking cessation programs.

And the Women's Heart Program staff, she says, has pledged itself to following up with patients to make sure that appointments are made and instructions are followed.

The initial screenings, which are priced at $38, don't require a physician's referral.

(To make an appointment, call 982-7448.) The program's staff, all of whom also have other responsibilities with Washoe Medical Center, include nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, exercise specialists and certified diabetes instructors.

What the staff members share, Pinto says, is a passion for addressing women's heart health.

"The team that provides the care believes in this," she says."They are engaged." Pinto's efforts to create the program got a big boost, meanwhile, when the Washoe Medical Center Auxiliary provided $50,000 plus equipment such as a treadmill and an EKG system for diagnostic tests.

"They are a group that didn't need selling," says Pinto."They simply said,'How can we help you?'" The new program isn't designed as a money-maker for Washoe Medical Center.

Instead, Pinto says, she'll gauge the program's success on rising public awareness of women's heart issues and the number of women who use the program for screening and diagnostic testing.

And, she said,"We'll see success in how well we do in closing the loop how we're able to get women into the right programs."