Peachy Quitugua, CHCC certified midwife, attends to an eligible patient at the WISEWOMAN Project launch at the Tinian Health Center.
(CHCC) — The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation launches the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation or WISEWOMAN Program in the CNMI through funding made available by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A woman’s risk of heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, increases with age.
Cardiovascular disease remains a leading health concern in the CNMI. The 2016 Non-Communicable Diseases & Risk Factor Hybrid Surveillance Report estimated that about a fourth of adults in the CNMI reported having hypertension.
The WISEWOMAN Program provides cardiovascular disease or CVD risk factor assessments and support for healthy lifestyle change among participants aged 35–64 to reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke.
Participants are referred to services that reduce CVD risks through improved diet, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and medication adherence support.
The program was launched in Saipan on Aug. 15, 2024, through the CHCC Mobile Clinic at the Chalan Kanoa Youth Center, and in Tinian at the Tinian Health Center on Aug. 19, 2024.The program is scheduled to be launched in Rota at the Rota Health Center on Sept. 24, 2024.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation is projecting to fully launch the WISEWOMAN Project in all CHCC clinic settings by January 2025.
The program provides eligible women preventative screenings for heart disease and stroke such as:
• Body Mass Index Assessments
• Blood Pressure Checks
• Tobacco Use Assessments
• Labs For A1c, Glucose, and Cholesterol
• Health Coaching to Manage Hypertension
• Weekly Progress Check-ins
• Referrals to Healthy Behavior Support Services and Community-Based Resources
Eligible women that sign up for the WISEWOMAN Program will receive a free FITBIT (while supplies last).
The CHCC Public Health Non-Communicable Disease Programs offer other health services such as:
• Classes on how to better manage diabetes
• Classes on how to quit vaping, smoking, chewing, or any nicotine use
• Classes on how to manage or prevent chronic kidney disease
• Breast and cervical screening vouchers for free mammogram and pap tests
For more information on these services and the WISEWOMAN Program, contact the CHCC Public Health Non-Communicable Disease Programs at (670) 234-8951 ext. 2030. You and also follow CHCC on social media @cnmichcc on Facebook and Instagram or visit https://www.chcc.health/.
