Management Program
The American Heart Association is working to equip community members, local businesses, organizations and healthcare providers with tools and resources to remove barriers to health equity.
Health lessons have been developed for community-based organizations and businesses that want to help their neighbors understand and manage their blood pressure. Our goal is to reduce high blood pressure, especially among those in historically under resourced communities that live with health-related disparities related to heart disease and stroke.
At the above link, you can view the Primary Care Association Webinar which is intended to introduce Primary Care Associations and other primary care support organizations/partners to the National Hypertension Control Initiative.
The National Hypertension Control Initiative (NHCI) Community-Based Organization Welcome webinar is also available to view.
Health Lessons and Toolkits are available and are a great source of health information for your community. The focus is on explaining the importance of accurate blood pressure measurement and recognizing lifestyle changes that can help neighbors reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure. These lessons take between 30 to 45 minutes to view. All are free and can be shared with other members of your community.
This initiative is supported by a cooperative agreement with the Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of a financial assistance award totaling $12.2 million in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically highlighted in health. In response, the American Heart Association launched the National Hypertension Control Initiative, an evidence-based, community-driven effort to reduce hypertension, or high blood pressure, a condition that nearly half of adult Americans are living with. Many of them don’t even know it.
Now more than ever, it’s important for everyone to pay attention to their blood pressure numbers. High blood pressure is a leading cause and controllable risk factor for heart disease, stroke and can contribute to worse outcomes for people who contract COVID-19.
Learn more about us and our efforts to strengthen and extend the reach of blood pressure knowledge and tools in communities affected by uncontrolled high blood pressure.
$32 million in federal funding to improve blood pressure, COVID-19 outcomes in at-risk communities
DALLAS, Dec. 18, 2020 — American Heart Association Chief Executive Officer Nancy Brown issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement of a collaboration with the Association to address hypertension in racial and ethnic minority populations. Cooperative agreements totaling $32 million with the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care will support a national initiative to improve blood pressure control among the most vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minorities.
“The American Heart Association is pleased to have been awarded $32 million through a series of cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a national initiative to help improve COVID-19-related health outcomes by reducing high blood pressure among racial and ethnic populations, who have higher rates of high blood pressure and are at increased risk for COVID-19 and severe chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
“The Association’s volunteers and staff are honored to partner with the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care on this vital work. We would like to explicitly acknowledge the leadership of the Assistant Secretary of Health and the United States Surgeon General for giving public voice to the need to urgently address this critical public health need.
“High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke and the most significant controllable risk factor. Close to half of American adults have high blood pressure, and nearly 75% of all cases are uncontrolled. The prevalence of high blood pressure in Black Americans is among the highest in the world. More than 40% of non-Hispanic Black men and women have high blood pressure. Black Americans also develop high blood pressure earlier in life and at a more severe level as compared to other racial and ethnic populations.
“In addition, high blood pressure is a major factor for worst outcomes for people with COVID-19, which disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic/Latino and other historically under-resourced populations impacted by social determinants of health. Now, more than ever, high blood pressure must be at the forefront of the national health care agenda.
“Last month, the Association published a Presidential Advisory declaring structural racism a major cause of poor health and premature death from heart disease and stroke. The Association is focusing more aggressively on overcoming societal barriers that contribute significantly to the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular risk factors (including high blood pressure, obesity and Type 2 diabetes) in Black, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic/Latino people compared with white people in the U.S.
“High blood pressure control has long been a priority for the Association, and despite years of progress, it remains a major problem in the U.S.
“The Association is currently working to reduce blood pressure by:
National Hypertension Control Initiative Resource Library
This library houses resources to support patients and community health centers seeking to improve blood pressure control through the use of self-monitored blood pressure (SMBP). The resources are separated by audience and cover a range of topics including clinical preparedness, patient education and training, correct measurement techniques, and the use of loaner programs.
Target: BP™ is a national initiative formed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). Target: BP helps health care organizations and care teams, at no cost, improve BP control rates through an evidence-based quality improvement program and recognizes organizations committed to improving BP control.
Target BP Registration:
Please follow the below link to access our new combined ambulatory registration form. This link will allow you to register for multiple programs such as Target: BP, Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol, and Target: Type 2 Diabetes, in one combined form.
http://americanheart.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9RgQY2CIMboTBEF
Remote patient monitoring uses advancements in information technology to gather patient data outside of traditional medical settings. This method of healthcare delivery allows providers to care for patients in between visits where people live, work and play. Remote patient monitoring involves patients utilizing a digital blood pressure cuff daily which reports readings back to their primary care physician. This helps providers stay up to date on their patient’s progress towards achieving their healthcare goals.
Target Health’s Nurse Care Team works as an extension of your clinical team. Our nurses can assist with implementation and execution of your practice’s remote patient monitoring program. Programs such as these offer added value to your patients and help ensure that your hypertensive patients stay better in control between doctor’s appointments. Our team of experienced nurses can help educate your hypertensive patients on how to properly use their digital blood pressure machines, the importance of taking accurate, daily readings, and ensure that patients stay better in control by taking their medications.
In fact, Target Health is already helping health centers and medical practices do just that leading to improved patient outcomes and more hypertensive patients in control. Considering launching a similar program for your health center or practice? Let Target Health Solutions not only help you launch and maintain a successful program, but show how remote patient monitoring can improve your organization’s bottom line under value-based contracts.
Rural Health Clinics (RHC):
Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHC)
Primary Care Practice