The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness announced on Feb. 21 that it has been awarded a five-year, $1.75 million grant from the Merck Foundation to join the new Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care.
The national initiative aims to expand access to high-quality, person-centered cardiovascular care for people living with heart conditions in the United States.
The Foundation is one of 11 organizations nationwide selected for this investment.
Funding will support the Foundation’s Social Delta Initiative, “a community–clinic partnership and systems-change model designed to improve cardiovascular health outcomes, with intentional focus on reducing racial and gender disparities impacting Black women in Dane County,” a statement said.
The initiative also features a heart health program, Reclaim Our Hearts, that will provide free individualized and group support to women living with hypertension or other cardiovascular risk factors.
“Cardiovascular disease is not just a medical issue — it’s a mirror reflecting the inequities in our social structure and care systems,” Lisa M. Peyton, founder, CEO and president of The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, said in a statement. “Through the Social Delta initiative, we are expanding our 15-year commitment to improving heart health and creating a model that connects the dots between medical care, community trust and the social conditions that shape health.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Dane County.
Healthy Dane data from 2021–2023 show that the age-adjusted heart disease death rate among Black residents (244.2 deaths per 100,000) is nearly four times higher than among White residents (62.6 per 100,000).
