Bus du Coeur 2023: exceptional results

Nearly 10,000 women received free screening in just over two years

What should we remember about the 2023 Women's Heart Bus tour?
Claire Mounier-Vehier: first and foremost, the enthusiasm that our passage triggers in each stopover town among healthcare professionals, all the stakeholders and the women we welcome. Offering a cardiovascular and gynaecological check-up to women who need it, in order to put them back on a care pathway, gives meaning to the nursing profession.
Thierry Drilhon: we have raised our level of intervention in every respect. 1,058 healthcare professionals were involved this year, either as volunteers or made available by local healthcare structures, almost double last year's figure. 4,672 women were screened free of charge, an average of 275 screenings per stage, far exceeding our target of 200, with a record 418 women screened in Lille.

What's the recipe for this success?
Thierry Drilhon: The success of our action relies on the strong involvement of the towns, the expertise of local healthcare professionals, the associative ecosystem and the solidarity of our funding partners. They prove, if proof were needed, that the corporate world does indeed have a major role to play in health prevention.
Claire Mounier-Vehier: Local roots are essential. Staying in a town for three days a year is obviously not enough. Only collective action mobilizing local players can be truly effective in the long term. A multi-disciplinary, cross-generational network of talent in the service of women's health is being created, saving lives on a daily basis.

How did you cope with the Bus fire and the loss of all your equipment, victims of urban violence?
Claire Mounier-Vehier: beyond the emotion, this ordeal strengthened our determination. With all our team, our first reflex was to think of the women we had to welcome. We did everything we could to make sure they didn't suffer the consequences.
Thierry Drilhon: the messages of support were countless and we benefited from an exceptional surge of solidarity. It brought together 4,000 individual donors and our major partners, enabling us to get back on the road in September, without modifying our program.

In what way was the final stop at the Ministry of Health and Prevention highly symbolic?
Thierry Drilhon: we're proud that a privately-funded initiative was able to offer free screening to almost 230 female employees of the ministry. Among the beneficiaries, many were neglecting their care and follow-up, with results comparable to those we observed in our various stopover towns. It's a strong message about the need for us all to work together to develop prevention initiatives in the years to come.
Claire Mounier-Vehier: Through this event, the Ministry has reaffirmed the very special attention we need to pay to women's health. This recognition of the validity of our actions is a further step towards the establishment of cardio-gynecological care pathways and the generalization of a long consultation to identify cardiovascular risk at around age 50, as women enter menopause.

Download the 2023 heart bus report
Download the 2023 heart bus report in English

Bus du Coeur 2022 report

Rapport

Three questions to Pr Claire Mounier-Vehier and Thierry Drilhon, co-founders of Agir pour le Cœur des Femmes. They give a very positive assessment of the development of the Women's Heart Bus in 2022, thanks to the coordinated support of towns, local healthcare professionals, institutional [...]

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