Women’s Heart Health Clinic at VGH

Vancouver General Hospital

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
2775 Laurel Street, 9th floor
Vancouver, BC
V5Z 1M9

The focus of the Leslie Diamond Women’s Heart Health Clinic is to provide specialized care towards:

  • Cardiovascular disease primary and secondary prevention;
  • Work-up of chest pain, or dyspnea that may be of a cardiac nature;
  • Providing a second opinion for patients with ongoing chest pain, prior myocardial infarction with normal coronaries (query microvascular angina or coronary vasospasm), and/or undiagnosed/non-obstructive coronary artery disease.

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Learn more from interviews with our specialists:

Women’s Health Research Institute Podcast: Women’s Heart Health
(Drs. Sedlak & Prodan-Bhalla)
CTV News: Advocacy in women’s heart health (Dr. Sedlak)
Global TV: Sex and gender differences in heart health (Dr. Sedlak)

Learn more about heart health:

HeartSmartTM Women: A guide to living with heart disease and stroke
Heart&StrokeTM: Recognize the risks and signs for women’s heart disease
Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance: More tools and resources for learning about women’s heart health

  • Meet our specialists:

    Dr. Tara Sedlak,
    MD, FRCPC, MBA

    Cardiologist, Vancouver General Hospital
    Medical Director, Leslie Diamond Women’s Heart Health Clinic
    Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

    Dr. Natasha Prodan-Bhalla,
    DNP, MN, NP (A), BScN

    Nurse Practitioner
    VP, Quality, Safety, Clinical Informatics, and Chief of Nursing and Allied Practice
    Adjunct Professor, UBC
    Adjunct Professor, UVic

    Dr. Carole M. Richford
    MD, FRCPC, DABAM

    Psychiatrist, Vancouver General Hospital, Providence Health Care, BC Cancer
    Consultant, Leslie Diamond Women’s Heart Health Clinic
    Clinical Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia

  • Would you like to make an appointment to consult one of our specialists?

    1. Do you have a primary care provider (or clinic), a cardiologist or another physician specialist (i.e. general internist) that has information about your cardiac symptoms?

    Please ask your primary care provider (or clinic) who has your most recent clinical history (i.e. symptoms, test results) to compile
    the following information and fax to 604-875-5504:

    • Completed regional referral form
    • Your most recent blood test
    • Any information they have regarding recent cardiac tests (i.e. stress test, angiogram, etc.) as indicated on the form

    Once we receive the referral form, we will triage you and you will see either our Nurse Practitioner (NP) or the Cardiologist depending on the concern.
    We will contact you to schedule an appointment and confirm the location:

    If some time has passed and you would like to confirm if your referral has been received to schedule an appointment:

    • Please call 604-875-4223

    If you have seen Dr. Sedlak before but it has been over 6 months, and if you do not have a pre-booked appointment, we require a re-referral from your care provider.
    Dr. Prodan-Bhalla does not require a re-referral. If you are unsure if you have a pre-booked appointment, please call the number above.

    2. Do you want to self-refer yourself to our clinic?

    Please compile the following information and fax to 604-875-5504:

    • Completed self-referral form
    • Your most recent blood test results
    • Any information you have regarding recent cardiac tests (i.e. stress test, angiogram, etc.)
    • Optional: A cover letter (maximum 1 page single-space) describing your symptoms, reasons for wanting a consultation, and any other information you think is relevant.

    Once we receive the referral form, we will contact you to schedule an appointment. If some time has passed and you would like to confirm if your referral has been received to schedule an appointment:

    • Please call 604-875-4223

  • Managing stress and mental health

    There is a strong link between negative mental health and poor heart outcomes. Ongoing stress, depression, anxiety or anger can directly make it more difficult to follow heart-healthy recommendations from your primary care provider, such as diet and exercise advice. It can also affect your blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose.

    We encourage you to look at the resources below and speak with our specialists to help you navigate your mental health.

    Recommended Resources:

    General information and practical strategies for coping better with mental health concerns:

    Depression and Heart Disease
    Stress
    Anxiety and Panic
    Anger Management

    Links shared with permission from the authors (Dr. Colleen Cannon, Dr. Sarah Cockell and Dr. Quincy Young).

    Find a Registered Psychologist in BC

    Positive Coping with Health Conditions: This free, online workbook covers skills such as managing worry, solving problems, managing depressive thinking, managing anger, and relationship building.

    Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A free online course that teaches awareness in meditation, discussion about attention and pain, response vs. reaction in stressful situations, and mindfulness in communication and compassion.

    Anti-depression Skills Workbook: This free, online workbook provides an overview of depression, explains how it can be effectively managed, and gives a step-by-step guide to changing patterns that trigger depression.

    Anxiety Canada: A collection of resources and strategies for managing anxiety.

    KeltyKey: Self-guided self-help resources and free courses to navigate mental health concerns.