CHPPR Partners with Texas Health Centers to Implement a Healthy Heart Ambassador Program
Published: October 27, 2022
The Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research (CHPPR) has partnered with the Center for Quality Health IT Improvement and health centers across Texas to promote the use of the Healthy Heart Ambassador and Self-Measured Blood Pressure programs to help identify, treat and manage high blood pressure and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
The Healthy Heart Ambassador Program (HHA), created by the CDC and YMCA, is a unique and effective strategy designed to help participants improve their blood pressure management. Implemented in combination with a Self-Measured Blood Pressure Program (SMBP), the four-month HHA program teaches participants how to accurately measure their blood pressure through routine office hours and support a healthy lifestyle through monthly nutrition education seminars.
To date, the UTHealth team has trained over 50 Healthy Heart Ambassadors in Texas, including staff members from South Texas Rural Health Services, Inc. (STRHS). STRHS also collaborates with the National Hypertension Control Initiative Supplemental Funding for Health Centers (NHCI-HC) and the American Heart Association in implementing evidence-based practices for advancing self-measured blood pressure technology and controlled hypertension. Their primary care team of nurse practitioners and patient health navigators is committed to using these remote patient monitoring strategies to help improve health in rural South Texas.
“We serve a rural population that struggles with hypertension” said Myrta Garcia, Chief Executive Officer at STRHS. “Our rural communities lack resources, lack transportation options, and often struggle financially. Implementing the SMBP program provides our patients with a SMBP device at no additional cost. The HHA program is a good process to ensure patient engagement and patient follow up care.”
Through the SMBP program, STRHS offers a remote blood pressure monitoring device to all patients who have difficulty maintaining a stable blood pressure. The device is linked to a wellness app, which allows blood pressure readings to be automatically recorded and sent to the patient’s provider. Providers can then communicate with the patient through the app rather than waiting for a follow up appointment. The app also allows patients to monitor other health goals such as water intake, weight, glucose levels, etc.
STRHS has made itself a community “medical hub,” offering dental services, behavioral health services, wellness services, substance abuse services, and medical services to community members. They also use a mobile unit to offer their services throughout the rural communities in their service area, increasing accessibility and convenience for individuals struggling with transportation and boosting program recruitment. To date, they have enrolled 412 participants in the SMBP program.
“The SMBP program has allowed us to provide a SMBP device to patients, who normally would not have access to such a device,” said Dora Fast, DNP, APRN FNP-BC, Chief Family Nurse Practitioner at STRHS “It is our hope that upon implementing the HHA process, we will have better engagement from our patients, which will lead to better health outcomes.”
This initiative is part of the “Improving the Health of Americans through Prevention and Management of Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke” project. For more information on STRHS, visit https://southtexasruralhealth.com/about-us/ or contact (830) 879-3047.