Aug 22 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invites comments by October 21, 2022 regarding the WISEWOMAN National Program Evaluation.
The CDC has supported the WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation) program since 1995. The WISEWOMAN program is designed to serve low-income women ages 40-64 who have elevated risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and have no health insurance, or are underinsured for medical and preventive care services. Through the WISEWOMAN program, women have access to screening services for selected CVD risk factors such as elevated blood cholesterol, hypertension, and abnormal blood glucose levels; referrals to heathy behavior support programs; and referrals to medical care. WISEWOMAN participants must be co-enrolled in the CDC-sponsored National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).
The WISEWOMAN program is administered through cooperative agreements with state, territorial, or tribal health departments. Each WISEWOMAN recipient submits to CDC an annual progress report that describes program objectives and activities, and semi-annual data reports (known as minimum data elements, or MDEs) on the screening, assessment, and healthy behavior support services offered to women who participate in the program. Participant-level MDE are de-identified prior to transmission to CDC.
In 2018, CDC released the fifth funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the WISEWOMAN program (DP18-1816), which resulted in five-year cooperative agreements with 24 state, territorial, and tribal health departments, including six new and 18 continuing awardees from the previous funding opportunity. Key program elements were retained (e.g., provision of screening services, promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors, and linkage to healthy behavior support services and community based resources), but a number of changes were incorporated into the program at that time. The current FOA reflects increased emphasis on three strategies to reduce CVD risk and support hypertension control and management, including: (1) tracking and monitoring clinical measures; (2) implementing team-based care; and (3) linking community resources and clinical services to support care coordination, self-management, and lifestyle change.
CDC seeks to conduct a multi-component evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the program on individual, organizational, and community-level outcomes. The in-depth assessment is designed to complement the routine progress and MDE information already being collected from WISEWOMAN program recipients. The data collection focuses on obtaining qualitative and quantitative information at the organizational and community levels about process and procedures implemented, and barriers, facilitators, and other contextual factors that affect program implementation and participant outcomes. Data collection activities include a Program Survey with all WISEWOMAN awardee programs, administered in the second and fourth program years, and a one-time site visit to each recipient spread across the three-year data collection effort. During site visits, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with WISEWOMAN staff members and staff at partner organizations, such as clinical providers and community-based resource providers, who are positioned to provide a variety of perspectives on program implementation.
WISEWOMAN program:
https://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/index.htm
Draft evaluation materials:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9cycivocwmoxjy2/WISEWOMAN%20National%20Evaluation.zip?dl=0
FRN:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-17990