HEART HEALTH INITIATIVE

Reclaim Our Hearts Project

Supporting Women on Their Heart-Health Journey

Complete your application now!

Welcome to the Reclaim Our Hearts Project

The Reclaim Our Hearts Project is a free supportive, community-centered heart health program for women in Dane County who are living with high blood pressure (hypertension) and want to care for their hearts in ways that feel sustainable, affirming, and real.

This program is designed to support women with the knowledge, tools, and relationships that help turn intention into action—strengthening heart health over time while honoring the realities of daily life.

We recognize that heart health is shaped by much more than doctor’s visits alone. Stress, access to care, food, movement, rest, community, and lived experience all matter. That’s why Reclaim Our Hearts brings together education, movement, peer connection, and personalized support—so women don’t have to navigate this journey alone.

Are you living with high blood pressure?

Feeling concerned about your heart health—or ready to take a next step? If so, you are not alone. And you deserve support that truly understands your life, your body, and your experiences. Get ready to reclaim your heart. If so, we have the support you need!

Why Reclaim Our Hearts Matters

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading health risk for women in Dane County and across Wisconsin. Black women, in particular, experience higher rates of high blood pressure and earlier heart-related complications—not because of individual choices, but because of long-standing structural and systemic barriers to care.

Reclaim Our Hearts was created in response to these realities.

This program centers the experiences of Black women while remaining open to any woman who meets the eligibility criteria and feels this space is right for her. Our approach is grounded in dignity, cultural responsiveness, and the belief that every woman deserves access to care, information, and community that supports long-term heart health.

An Invitation

Reclaiming your heart doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly.
It means choosing support, connection, and care—one step at a time.

If you’re ready to invest in your heart health alongside other women who understand the journey, we invite you to apply.

Complete Your Application Now

Who Is Eligible to Participate?

Reclaim Our Hearts is for women who are ready to invest in their heart health with support, structure, and community.

    You may be eligible if you:
  • Live in Dane County and are between the ages of 18–64  
  • Have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension)
    (Women with additional heart-health concerns, such as high cholesterol, are also welcome to apply)
  • Are interested in making meaningful changes to support your heart health over time
  • Are able to participate in most program activities (with flexibility built in)
  • Are open to engaging in monthly virtual Heart Health Circles and in-person movement opportunities
  • Are willing to complete brief surveys to share your experience and help improve the program
  • Are open to limited sharing of relevant clinical health data—such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and A1c levels—to help us understand health outcomes and improve care and support
  • Clinical data is used only for program coordination, learning, and evaluation, and is handled with care and confidentiality.
    Optional, but encouraged:
  • Interest in working with a Community Health Worker (CHW) for additional support navigating care, resources, and everyday challenges that affect health

A Note on Commitment

Reclaim Our Hearts is designed for real life—not perfection.

At the same time, we know that consistent participation matters. Women who engage in most program activities—about 80% over time—are more likely to experience meaningful improvements in their heart health.

‍If you’re able to stay connected and participate more often than not, this program is likely to be a good fit for you.

If you’re unsure whether the timing or level of commitment works right now, we still encourage you to apply and talk with our team.

PROJECT STRUCTURE & EXPERIENCE

What Participating in Reclaim Our Hearts Looks Like

Reclaim Our Hearts is a 15-month, group-based heart health program designed to support women living with high blood pressure through education, movement, connection, and personalized support.

The program is designed to fit real life by offering a mix of virtual and in-person experiences—so participants can stay connected while also having opportunities to move, gather, and build community in shared space.

How the Program Is Structured

Monthly Heart Health Circles
Movement & Wellness Opportunities
Support Beyond the Sessions
A Program Built for Progress, Not Perfection
Monthly Heart Health Circles
Our monthly Heart Health Circles are primarily virtual, making it easier for women to participate consistently regardless of transportation, weather, or schedule constraints. These gatherings focus on learning, reflection, discussion, and peer support—creating space to connect with other women who understand the journey.

Movement & Wellness Opportunities
Movement experiences are primarily in person, with options designed to be accessible and welcoming:

  • ‍Walking Collectives that take place in community settings across Dane County.
  • Project Live Well, a guided fitness and nutrition program offered in person with virtual options to support flexibility and participation.

Participants are encouraged to engage in movement in ways that feel safe, supportive, and appropriate for their bodies.

Support Beyond the Sessions
‍Participants also have access to:

  • ‍Optional Community Health Worker (CHW) support for help navigating health care, resources, and everyday needs that affect heart health.
  • Ongoing connection with instructors, facilitators, and fellow participants through digital tools that help maintain momentum between sessions.

This layered approach ensures support is available both during structured programming and in between.

A Program Built for Progress, Not Perfection
‍You do not need to attend every session or do everything “right” to benefit from this program. Reclaim Our Hearts is about steady progress, shared learning, and building habits over time—with flexibility built in.

We also believe in being honest about what helps create real change. Based on both evidence and lived experience, participants who engage in most program activities—about 80% over time—are more likely to see meaningful improvements in their heart health.

‍That doesn’t mean perfection. It means staying connected, showing up more often than not, and continuing to choose yourself even when life gets busy.

We meet you where you are—and we walk alongside you as you move forward.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If this balance of virtual connection and in-person movement feels like a good fit, we invite you to apply.

READY TO RECLAIM YOUR HEART? APPLY TODAY!

THE EXPERIENCE YOU CAN EXPECT

MONTHLY HEART HEALTH CIRCLES

Reclaim Our Connection
Virtual | May 2026 - August 2027

Each month participants will gather for reflection, shared learning and accountability alongside cohort members, supported by trusted health specialists and professionals.

Click here to learn more. Access available to Reclaim participants only.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

FITNESS & NUTRITION SERIES

Reclaim Our Strength
In person with virtual options
Weekly in July 2026 and March 2027

Through movement and nourishment, these two 4-week series are designed to help participants translate medical recommendations into real-life habits that are achievable, empowering and sustainable!

YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

FFBWW WALKING COLLECTIVE

Reclaim Our Steps
In person | May 2026 - August 2027
(and beyond!)

Walking is one of the most effective and accessible forms of cardiovascular exercise. Regular walking can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, improve circulation, reduce stress and support mental health and clarity!

Find a walking group near you
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

FAMILY CPR & AED TRAINING

Reclaim Our Lives
In person | Summer 2026

By learning CPR and AED skills as a family, participants reclaim the power to respond in critical moments - building confidence, preparedness and the ability to protect one another and members of our collective community.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER SUPPORT

Reclaim the Support We Deserve
Optional | May 2026 - August 2027

Our Community Health Worker (CHW) team is available to secure resources, information and support primary needs such as housing, food, childcare, transportation, personal safety and mental health support.

Learn more
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

SUPPORTIVE ONLINE COMMUNITY

Reclaim Your Network
Virtual | May 2026 - August 2027

All project participants will have access to our private digital space to set and track goals and stay connected with fellow participants and expert instructors throughout the 15-months. Ask questions, share your experiences, and continue to build a lasting community between meet-ups!

Click here to learn more. Access available to Reclaim participants only.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Share your lived experiences to help shape healthier systems and inform future change in our community.

Reclaim Our Hearts is the participant-facing program within the Social Delta Initiative—our broader systems-change effort to advance equitable heart health for Black women in Dane County.

Learn more about the Social Delta Initiative

YOUR INSTRUCTORS & SUPPORT TEAM

Lisa M. Peyton, MS.ED.
Dr. Michelle Robinson
Christine Russell
Natasha Watkins
Brandice Hatcher
Nicki Cooper
CC Scott

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

POWERED BY
‍

The Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care is a national, multi-site initiative to improve access to high-quality, person-centered care for people with heart conditions living in U.S. communities that face long-standing barriers to health care.

The Merck Foundation is supporting the program and funding nonprofit health care and public health organizations that are working with local community- based groups to implement evidence-informed, community-focused programs that will help bridge gaps in cardiac care and improve health outcomes.


Complete your application now!
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