National Minority Health Month in April is an important time to learn what each of us can do to prevent heart attacks and strokes, especially among those at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. African Americans experience strokes at a higher rate than other races, and other groups, including Hispanics and women, are also at higher risk. African Americans are less likely to have their hypertension under control, and nearly half of African American men have a risk factor that can lead to heart attack or stroke. TheHealthy Is Strong campaign to engage African American men in their hypertension care emphasizes how making simple changes can make a big difference in improving health. During Nutrition Month in March, we were reminded that small changes in sodium intake and looking out for those“hidden” sources of sodium can deliver big returns in health. We look ahead to connecting these efforts with May’s focus on high blood pressure education and stroke. Bridging these topics will result in a stronger impact on cardiovascular health and will help us focus on cardiovascular disease every month!
—Janet Wright, MD, FACC
Executive Director, Million Hearts®
Do This!
Do you know of anyone who has excelled in service to Million Hearts®? Nominate an individual or team for the “Million Hearts® Service Award.” Send a paragraph tomillionhearts@cms.hhs.govhighlighting the accomplishments of the nominee. We will be delighted to celebrate them with you!
Tools You Can Use
Join health care teams nationwide in finding undiagnosed hypertensive patients in their practices—Many Americans with hypertension visit their health care provider regularly but are undiagnosed, remaining at risk for cardiovascular disease. Within the system but below the radar, these individuals are “hiding in plain sight.” Use our collection of new clinician resources to help identify those at risk, including an interactive Hypertension Prevalence Estimator Tool and a short whiteboard animation that explains the concept and key steps to take. You can also help raise awareness among your colleagues and patients who may be hiding in plain sight by sharing these social messages and graphics.
Help patients quit with a new set of resources from the fifth year of the Tips From Former Smokers campaign—This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campaign profiles real people—not actors—living with serious long-term health problems resulting from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. The new ads raise awareness about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression and anxiety, dual use of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, heart disease, and cancer. The ads will run for 20 weeks nationally on TV, on the radio, in magazines, and online. Check out the Tips website for a wide array of tools and resources for working with patients to help them quit smoking.
Download mobile health platforms for quitting smoking from Smokefree.gov—Created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, Smokefree.gov offers articles, quizzes, and quick links to many resources, such as theSmokefreeTXT program—a messaging service providing encouragement, advice, and tips to quit—and the QuitGuide App—a free app that tracks cravings, moods, slips, and progress. You can also build a personalized quit plan.
Leverage your EHR systems to excel in the “ABCS”—The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released Million Hearts® electronic health record (EHR) Optimization Guides to help providers use their EHR products to find, use, and improve data on the seven Million Hearts® clinical quality measures. The vendor-specific step-by-step guides illustrate how to extract patient-level data on the measures. Currently, guides are available for Allscripts, Cerner, and NextGen. Learn more on the Health IT Buzz Blog.
Explore a toolkit for improving high blood pressure care and outcomes—The Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality designed a toolkit for administrators, clinicians, and staff within health care organizations who are seeking evidence-based strategies and tools to improve high blood pressure control among their patients. View the toolkit by creating a free account withHIPxChange.
Download this new sodium reduction resource for public health and the food industry—The National Network of Public Health Institutes, in collaboration with CDC and the Culinary Institute of America, developed a tip sheet covering key messages and strategies on how to reduce sodium in foods sold or served.
Watch this video to help improve flavor and nutritional content in the food you cook—This video, along with an accompanyingresource guide, was released by Indiana’s Marion County Public Health Department and illustrates various ways to modify recipes with the goal of improving flavor and nutritional quality.
Million Hearts® in the Community
Join our partners at Measure Up Pressure Down® for theirNational Day of Action: Roll Up Your Sleeves!. On Thursday, May 5, 2016, commit to take action to increase awareness, detection, or control of high blood pressure in your community and share your activity with the campaign! For more information and resources check out their National Day of Action Participant Guide.
Beth Israel to launch patient health monitoring program. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is gearing up to kick off BIDMC @ Home, an initiative that will provide home health monitoring via connected devices and Apple’s HealthKit framework. The program will initially focus on congestive heart failure and hypertension. Using weight scales and blood pressure monitors connected to an iPhone app, patients can monitor their own heart health data, which is sent securely to the patient’s EHR and patient portal, allowing health care providers to monitor what is happening in the home.
Join Million Hearts® and APHA to help make America the healthiest nation in one generation. During National Public Health Week (NPHW), Million Hearts® will be participating in the American Public Health Association’s (APHA’s) 6th annual NPHW Twitter Chat on Wednesday, April 6, at 2 pm ET—join us! Follow @NPHWto learn more about the chat and use the official hashtag, #NPHWchat. If you haven’t already, also be sure to follow Million Hearts® to join our conversation.
Let us know what you’re doing to advance Million Hearts® in your community! Send us a short description with some key points, and we may feature you in a future e-Update!
The Science of Million Hearts®
Watch the Public Health Live! webcast on undiagnosed hypertension. “Hiding in Plain Sight: Finding Patients with Undiagnosed Hypertension” was the topic for February’s Public Health Live!, a monthly webcast series aimed at providing continuing education opportunities on public health issues. The webcast featured Hilary K. Wall, Million Hearts® Science Lead, who discussed the tenants of Million Hearts®, the importance of identifying patients with undiagnosed hypertension, and steps that health systems can take to identify patients at risk. The webcast, slides, and additional resources are available on the Public Health Live! website.
View the CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) presentation on preventing heart attacks and strokes. In February, Dr. Janet Wright presented to COCA, a group that provides information to clinicians on emergency preparedness, response, and emerging public health threats. During the presentation, Dr. Wright discussed Million Hearts® and strategies to help find and address the needs of those at greatest risk for cardiovascular disease. The webcast and additional resources are available on the COCA website.