Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health's Bridgeport Hospital launched a program to reduce the risk of heart diseases in women who've had pregnancy complications.
The Postpartum Cardiac Risk Reduction Clinic will offer long-term postpartum care and resources to women who've had preeclampsia, eclampsia or gestational hypertension. These diseases disproportionately affect women of color who often don't receive necessary follow-up care, the health system said.
"Women who experienced hypertensive disorders in their pregnancy face anywhere from two to seven times greater risk of developing heart disease as early as 10 years after the complicated pregnancy," Tabassum Firoz, MD, an internal medicine specialist at Bridgeport (Conn.) Hospital, said in a news release.
Dr. Firoz will serve as head of the clinic, which offers services via telehealth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The clinic accepts all women regardless of insurance status.
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