Facility to be staffed by specialists specifically trained in women’s cardiac health

Thanks to a $5-million donation, women across southern Alberta now have access to a first-of-its-kind cardiovascular clinic in Calgary.

Named the Harold and Betty Allsopp Women’s Cardiovascular Health Clinic, the facility at South Health Campus will support education, diagnosis and treatment of women with heart disease.

“Women don’t experience the same symptoms as men, so heart disease in women is under-recognized,” said Paul Rossmann, president and chief executive officer of Calgary Health Foundation.

The donation was made to the foundation following a multi-year campaign to raise funding for the clinic, in partnership with Alberta Health Services.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to connect donors to things that are meaningful for them, where they feel like they would like to invest their money in things that are so transformative to the health system,” Rossmann said.

While there are other women’s health cardiovascular clinics in Canada, there is “nothing like this” in Western Canada, he said.

At the clinic, women will be able to meet with specialists specifically trained in women’s health, he said.

“It’s really the place where cases can be triaged, and women who are at most risk from heart disease can be seen,” he said.

Unlike what’s seen on TV, symptoms of women’s heart disease don’t show up as a dramatic chest pain and a cry for 911.

“It may seem like indigestion or the sweats,” he said. “Women are less likely to call 911 because they don’t recognize it’s a heart attack. If they do go to emergency, they are less likely to be seen, less likely to be diagnosed as a heart attack.”

The Allsopp clinic will also offer rehab services and an educational component to learn how the disease manifests in women.

“The clinic will deliver multi-disciplinary, team-based cardiovascular care that addresses cardiovascular conditions more prevalent in, or disproportionately affecting, women,” said Dr. Roopinder Sandhu, a cardiac electrophysiologist who is director of the clinic.

“It will allow us to offer targeted training for front-line physicians to improve the recognition of cardiovascular risk factors and symptoms in women, and engage in cutting-edge research to answer the many questions regarding testing for and treatment of women’s cardiovascular health conditions,” Sandhu said in a news release on Wednesday.

“Furthermore, the clinic will permit us to develop co-ordinated care pathways with community cardiologists, primary care providers, emergency departments and other interdisciplinary partners,” Sandhu said.

While the funding will act as seed investment for the clinic to operate for three years, Rossmann said he has no doubt that the results will be so promising that it will eventually be funded by Alberta Health Services.

“It’s really going to save the lives of women who suffer from heart disease at least the same rate as men,” he said.

The Allsopps’ donation is part of a citywide expansion of cardiac health care initiated by the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.

Calgary Health Foundation is continuing to raise funds for this work at South Health Campus and Foothills Medical Centre.

The Allsopps, previous donors to Calgary Health Foundation, made this latest donation after reading comments from Rossmann in the Calgary Herald late last year about the role of philanthropy.

“Philanthropy is most powerful when it meets a genuine community need, and that’s precisely what this gift does. It is a privilege to see Harold and Betty Allsopp’s commitment to women’s cardiovascular health come to life at the South Health Campus. Their gift will have a meaningful, lasting impact for women in our community,” said Eva Friesen, president and chief executive officer of the Calgary Foundation, which acted as the bridge between the Allsopps and the charitable opportunity identified by the foundation.

“Their desire to bolster an area of health care that has historically been overlooked and underprioritized speaks to their progressive approach to philanthropy,” Rossmann added.

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