NACDD has been a proud national partner of Million Hearts® since 2012, supporting efforts to improve outcomes for people with or at risk for cardiovascular diseases, which account for one in every three deaths in the United States.
This month, American Heart Month, we are excited to help launch the Million Hearts® Hospitals & Health System Recognition Program, which acknowledges institutions working to systematically improve the cardiovascular health of the population and the communities they serve.
NACDD has been working collaboratively with CDC to develop this program, and we invite our Members to help spread the word to hospitals and health systems in their communities, encouraging them to apply and join us in promoting their commitments and outcomes in cardiovascular health. You can learn more about this program at hospitals.millionhearts.hhs.gov.
In addition to our work with Million Hearts®, our Cardiovascular Health (CVH) team has a robust portfolio that supports implementing evidence-based, population health improvement strategies and capacity-building opportunities for health departments. Here are a few other ways we are helping promote heart health:
EHR-based Surveillance Learning Community: This monthly series for health departments and their potential data partners helps build chronic disease surveillance capabilities. The March session will highlight governance policies and procedures to consider when engaging in EHR-based surveillance. Register>>
GIS Capacity Building Project: This project includes GIS training, ongoing support from expert GIS analysts, development of tools to support mapping at the local level, and networking. Four county health departments in Maryland—Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and St. Mary’s—were selected for the 2020 GIS Training for the Surveillance of Heart Disease, Stroke and Other Chronic Diseases in Local Health Departments program. State Health Departments participating in the 2019-2020 state training are Connecticut, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Utah. Learn more >>
Pharmacy Learning Collaborative: The Advancing Pharmacy-Related Interventions to Control Hypertension and Manage Cholesterol Learning Collaborative focuses on innovative team-based approaches to hypertension control and cholesterol management. Staff from the State Health Departments of Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia were selected to participate. The results will be disseminated through a fireside chat in September 2020. Learn more >>
SMBP PROJECT: NACDD and CDC commissioned a national analysis of self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) coverage and reimbursement policies within public and private payer insurance across the United States. Read the reports attached below.
PARTNERSHIP: NACDD has joined the National Hypertension Control Roundtable® (NHCR) as a founding member. The NHCR is a public, private and nonprofit partnership dedicated to improving national hypertension control rates from ~50% to 80% and reducing disparities in hypertension control by 2025. Learn more >>
Learn more about our programs and how we can support your work in cardiovascular health at chronicdisease.org. I encourage you to also sign up for Off the Cuff, a weekly informative newsletter for health department staff working on cardiovascular health-related strategies. Email healthsystems@chronicdisease.org to get on the list.
Together, we can help prevent heart attacks and strokes, and improve the health of the population through the use of cost-effective, proven strategies.