Allegheny Health launches cardiovascular health pilot for nurses

In May, a group of nurses at Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network’s Allegheny General Hospital began participating in a cardiologist-designed well-being program aimed at improving heart health.

Developed by cardiologist Indu Poornima, MD, the program was made possible by a $100,000 donation from an unnamed patient. The patient’s own heart health was “transformed” through a plant-based diet and lifestyle modifications, according to a May 8 news release from the health system. 

The program offers guidance on implementing plant-based eating habits, guest speakers on topics from exercise and nutrition to stress management and sleep health. Participants will be given pedometers to track movement, free gym memberships and vouchers for fresh produce. The hospital has also increased the number of plant-based meal options available at the cafeteria.

Dr. Poornima, who serves as medical director of the AHN Women’s Heart Center and system director of clinical cardiology & imaging, spoke to Becker’s about how the program was designed and why nurses, specifically, are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. 

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

Question: What gaps in nurse well-being or health led you to design this program?

Dr. Indu Poornima: I’ve been a practicing cardiologist in the health system for about 25 years now, and have seen many nurses as patients. I’ve taken care of young, middle-aged nurses who’ve had major heart attacks and health cardiac issues that were occasionally fatal as well. Anecdotally, I see a high prevalence of underlying cardiovascular risk factors —  high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, decreased physical activity, poor nutrition, sleep deprivation and such — in this population. There is now also data that reflects exactly what I was seeing. 

With the nurses their work life is very different. There are nurses who work the night shift or 12-hour shifts for years on end, and we know that shift workers in general have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. On top of that, if you layer everything that happened during the pandemic, it’s like a perfect storm for abnormal or decreased cardiovascular health, or decreased cardiovascular health.

Q: How did you shape it specifically for frontline staff?

IP: We’ve designed the program to be completely online and spread over six months. 

After going through a few health and lifestyle assessments at baseline, the nurses essentially have a 24-week program where they log in for a session one hour per week. We offer sessions four days of the week at different times each day. If they miss all four, the sessions are recorded and they’re available on Teams. The Teams page is also where participants can connect and share their experiences. We also survey participants each week for feedback.

Q:  Beyond metrics like BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol, what does “success” look like for you?

IP: There’s evidence in the implementation science area that you need some sort of regular engagement, especially when it comes to lifestyle modification. We wanted to make sure that this was a true lifestyle intervention program versus just diet and exercise, because if you look at the overall health of nurses, a lot of it has to do with the stress associated with the job, so our program is designed to address all of those aspects. It’s about strength training as well as cardiovascular fitness alongside mental health and stress management, financial health and spiritual well-being. 

At the end of 24 weeks, we will reassess participants’ overall health and lifestyle. I will also have a monthly touch point after the program ends to see how everyone is doing. Twelve months after the program ends, I will reassess all the feedback and data to see how much of the program is sustainable. 

Q: Since launching in May, what have you learned through the process so far?

IP: As a pilot program, we are trying to learn how the program can be sustainable, expanded and scaled. In the future, having a full-time dedicated program coordinator who touches base with the nurses, having more regular engagement and messaging, may be useful.

I often get messages from individual nurses saying how they are appreciating the program and how it’s impacted them personally. At the end of the six months, we will see if overall well-being did improve collectively, it will be interesting to see.

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