FARMINGTON – The Healthy Community Coalition has been awarded a $2,500 grant to implement The Heart Truth: Engage, Educate, and Empower Project, which will train health care professionals the skill of motivational interviewing to empower their female patients in making lifestyle behavior changes to improve their heart health.
The primary objectives of the program are to: 1) Teach the skill of motivational interviewing to health care professionals including physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses and health educators in two of Maine’s most rural counties; 2) Increase the knowledge of health care professionals who work with women ages 40-60 on how to engage female patients in their own lifestyle behavior changes; 3) Promote the skill of motivational interviewing within the medical communities in Franklin and Aroostook County; and 4) Integrate motivational interviewing into Heart Truth professional education materials for use by health professionals for medical, nursing, and physician education.
“Franklin and Aroostook Counties will each receive $2,500 from the Office on Women’s Health to implement the project,” said Sherra Osgood of the Healthy Community Coalition. “A one-day training will be held at Franklin Memorial Hospital this spring. A similar project will be carried out by Stacy Jochem of the Maine Women’s Cardiovascular Health Council for Aroostook County.”
Medical professionals who attend the trainings will receive continuing education credits.
For more information, contact Sherra Osgood at Healthy Community Coalition at 779-2933 or sosgood@fchn.
