Key Takeaways
- Aging workforce = rising heart risk: Public sector employees stay in their jobs longer, making them more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease — and more costly to insure.
- Women face unique challenges: Menopause and gender-specific symptoms often lead to missed or delayed heart disease diagnoses in women-heavy sectors like education and healthcare.
- Prevention is key: With the right tools—like self-monitoring, medication support, and menopause-aware features—HR leaders can protect health, reduce costs, and retain talent.
The Weight of Heart Risk in the Public Workforce
It’s well documented that public sector workers stay in their roles longer than those in the private sector. Their tenures average nearly double the length of private sector employees. That stability is a strength, but it also means the workforce is older. With age comes a much higher risk of cardiovascular issues.
For HR and health fund leaders, poor heart health is a structural challenge with both human and financial consequences. The average member with a heart condition or risk factor(s) costs $10,000 annually. Given the vast prevalence of the condition, these annual costs quickly add up to millions for large employers.
Stress compounds. Movement becomes stagnant. Chronic conditions creep in. The need for prevention has never been more apparent. But public agencies face real constraints — rigid benefits, limited flexibility, and tight resources. The result? A workforce aging into risk without the right tools to stay ahead.
This challenge becomes even more pronounced in agencies where women make up the majority, such as those in education, healthcare, and social services. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. And for many women, heart disease goes undetected until it becomes a crisis.
One reason is that women's symptoms can differ from typical signs for men. Healthcare providers may miss or misdiagnose symptoms like fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, or back pain. And there's another factor: menopause.
Menopause, Aging, and Missed Opportunities
Estrogen, which once helped regulate blood vessels and cholesterol, begins to decline as women age. Blood pressure can spike. Sleep becomes erratic. Weight gain and fatigue become more common. And they're not only discomforts. They're warning signs of heart disease. When risk is not identified and preventive care is delayed, outcomes worsen.
There is also the practical toll: missed work, disrupted schedules, and rising claims. A Mayo Clinic study estimates that menopause-related work loss costs U.S. employers nearly $2 billion a year.
For HR leaders in the public sector, this is about both compassion and strategy. Supporting midlife health is crucial to retaining skilled, experienced employees who remain engaged and productive.
What HR Leaders Can Do
Public sector HR teams know how to stretch a budget and serve a mission. Standard wellness programs might not fully support heart health. This is especially true for older teams and those with a higher proportion of women.
So, where do you start?
- Tailor programs to reflect aging and hormonal shifts. Menopause isn't a niche concern; it's a widespread, predictable life stage that affects the majority of the U.S. population. Offering resources that address this transition can improve both health outcomes and morale.
- Create space for open conversations. Host lunch-and-learn sessions or offer resources through your employee communications. Cover how symptoms can differ for women. Explain how age-related changes can affect these symptoms. The more inclusive the messaging, the more effective the engagement.
- Invest in tools that make self-care simple. Public employees work varied hours in roles ranging from frontline to administrative. They need support that fits their schedules and lifestyles.
Prevention works best when it's part of the culture. Give employees simple, accessible tools, and they'll use them — before problems start.
Where Hello Heart Fits In
Proactive care is only possible when people have the right tools at the right time. Hello Heart is designed for the routines, challenges, and health needs common in public service. And we’re proven to support women before, during and after menopause. Here’s how:
At-Home Monitoring
The FDA-cleared Hello Heart Monitor syncs with our easy-to-use mobile app, which members can access from anywhere on their phone. No clinic appointment or worksite visit is required. It's self-care that fits into evenings, weekends, and non-traditional shifts.
Education and Empowerment
Hello Heart turns complex medical data into clear, actionable insights. Employees can learn what their numbers mean, how to talk with their doctors, and when it's time to follow up. That knowledge builds confidence—and leads to better care.
Medication Adherence Support
The connected Hello Heart Pill Box and app reminders support consistent medication use, even when routines shift. During menopause, sleep and energy levels fluctuate. Mood swings and anxiety affect focus. That makes it easy to lose track. Simple reminders help women stay consistent with crucial medication regimens even when their days don't go as planned.
Menopause-Sensitive Risk Tracking
With menopause-specific features, Hello Heart helps women track heart health at every stage of life. By watching trends, they can notice changes early. This way, they get support for their unique heart health needs and are able to address issues before symptoms become serious.
Take the Lead on Heart Health
Implementing a heart health strategy is not about adding one more initiative to the pile. It's about recognizing who your employees are. They're experienced, committed, often older, and coming from all walks of life. Providing them with tools that work at home, privately and on their own time, will resonate with them.
The return is clear. Better health means fewer absences, lower claims, and a stronger, more resilient organization.
Give your employees the tools. They're experienced. They're capable. They'll take it from there — and Hello Heart will be with them every step of the way.
To learn more, see how the City of Fort Worth’s benefits team saved more than $3M in annual costs by taking care of people’s hearts.
Request a personalized demo and get a custom ROI estimate based on your workforce size and needs. Request a demo here.
1. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed October 19, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https:/www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
2. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021- Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-fundedemployer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
