Over the past five years, Valley View Hospital has explored creative options to provide information resources to the community. Proactive health knowledge can make a difference for patients and help individuals understand what they can do to boost their wellness. The webinars fall under the umbrella the hospital calls Valley View University (VVU), and started in 2020 in response to social distancing needs. That first year, webinars were centered on ValleyOrtho clinic topics. The program expanded to include the hospital’s Breast Center later that year, before expanding to include other medical programs in 2021.
Among webinars on offer this winter are sessions within Valley View’s Women’s Health Series. Upcoming sessions on Feb. 6 and Feb. 27 focus on women’s heart health and menopause, respectively. A Valley View representative shared more about the VVU program and upcoming classes with The Sopris Sun this week.
What has been the response to these online offerings?
The response has exceeded our expectations. We knew there was a need for a women’s health focused series based on feedback we received from previous VVUs, but the number of registrations and attendees were more than we anticipated. Recent attendance for the Women’s Health Series has doubled in size from previous VVUs.
Have there been particularly popular courses since this program started?
Topics for women have been particularly popular. One of the VVUs we offered in May 2024 with Susan Inscore, MD on osteoporosis was at that time our most well attended VVU, with registrations in the hundreds. The recent VVU with Katie Mang-Smith, MD on weight loss even exceeded these numbers.
How often are online courses available?
We schedule these based on provider availability and try to have one or two per month. This is the first time we’ve done a specific series, and we hope to do more of these focused VVU series in the future. As for additional availability, there is no cap on the number of attendees we can host for VVUs and all of our VVUs are published online at vvh.org
Will there be another series?
We have not planned another official series yet, outside of the Women’s Health Series, but because the response has been so great we may do more in the future. Our last Women’s Health VVUs are on Feb. 6 (Women and Heart Health) and Feb. 27 (Menopause). Says Dr Elizabeth Cruse, the speaker for the second event, “Menopause is a topic at the top of mind for many women, a part of life that cannot be ignored. My talk will demystify some of the stages and symptoms of menopause and discuss how women can effectively address this time in their lives. This is information that all women should have and should share.” Dr. Cruse is a provider at Valley View’s Internal Medicine.
Outside of the series, we have two additional VVUs upcoming, [including on] Jan. 29 (Suicide Prevention) and Feb. 5 (Knee Injury Prevention). People interested in our VVU series can visit vvh.org/events for more information.
What would VVH like to emphasize about wellness learning opportunities?
One of the great things about the virtual educational format we provide via the VVU is that people can ask questions of our providers anonymously at the end. Oftentimes, this format allows people to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in an in-person setting and they can also benefit from the questions asked by others, things they may not have thought of and actually wanted to know. We also send a recording of each VVU to those who register so if people can’t make it at the time scheduled, they can watch it when it is convenient for them. And of course, they can visit vvh.org to see any VVU that was previously recorded.
“Heart Health for Women” will be presented on Zoom by Nurse Practitioner Katrina Metcalf on Thursday, Feb. 6 at noon. The 30-minute session will focus on maintaining a healthy heart, impacts of cholesterol and making lifestyle changes tailored to women’s cardiovascular health.
“Menopause Explained” with Dr. Elizabeth Cruse will be Thursday, Feb. 27 at noon. The discussion covers the impact of and various treatment options for the symptoms of menopause.