Turning the spotlight on you and your important work

We are halfway through the Million Hearts® 2022 initiative...  ... and we’re taking stock of the tremendous efforts that have sustained us so far, as well as what we need from partners and stakeholders over the next few years. The only way to meet our goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes is to focus heavily on hypertension control—and we need every sector to be involved. By the time you read this, CDC will have hosted the September 9–10 Hypertension Control meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, to advance the conversation about the importance of blood pressure control. The meeting included best practices and proven strategies for hypertension control, small group sessions on how to implement these best practices, discussions of ways to commit to best practices, and how CDC can support implementation. We invite employers, payers, health systems, clinicians, academia, and community-based organizations nationwide to unite to increase the current hypertension control rate to 80% by 2022. Our goal: promote and use evidence-based strategies to improve hypertension control that affect large segments of the population. Finally, while I’ve enjoyed authoring the “Director’s Message,” I’m excited to announce that Larry Sperling, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA, FASPC, will be the new executive director of Million Hearts®. Larry is well known within the cardiology community and has a wealth of cardiovascular expertise and a passion for preventing heart attacks and strokes, is a big fan of Million Hearts®, and he looks forward to working with our valued partners. Yours in health,   Betsy L. Thompson, MD, MSPH, DrPH RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service Director, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Use the Hypertension Control Change Package

Tools You Can Use TAKEheart is seeking hospitals that are committed to optimizing patient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation. TAKEheart is now accepting applications! This Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded initiative provides free support to hospitals and health systems for the implementation of automatic CR referrals with care coordination. If your institution is committed to improving the quality of patient cardiac care through CR, apply to TAKEheart now. Apply to be Part of TAKEheart Inspire people to quit tobacco with tools from the new Tobacco Cessation Change Package. The new Million Hearts® change package is a quality improvement tool for health care and public health professionals. The change package will help you choose which tobacco cessation treatments are the best fit for your practice setting and patient population. Use the Tobacco Cessation Change Package The FH Foundation’s toolkit breaks down the basics of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month! See the FH Foundation’s media toolkit for shareable resources to help educate people about FH, an inherited—and often undiagnosed—cholesterol disorder that greatly increases the risk for heart disease. Help People #KnowFH Explore ways to incorporate physical activity breaks in the workplace with this guide. The CDC guide provides resources and ideas to help employees build brief activity breaks into their workdays. It is for all employers, regardless of size or industry type. The break ideas are easy, fun, inexpensive, and not disruptive to the workplace. Get Physical Activity Ideas for the Workplace (PDF - 338 KB)

Quick Fact

Achieving the Million Hearts® target of an 80% control rate in adults with hypertension by 2021 could prevent an estimated 570,000 preventable events. — CDC Public Health Grand Rounds (PDF - 4.1 MB) Million Hearts® in the Community Nashville community health organization focuses on improving hypertension rates among residents. NashvilleHealth works with local stakeholders and national experts to improve Nashville residents’ heart health, bringing national programs like Target:BP and the NIH-funded Barbershop Project to the city. Learn what NashvilleHealth does and get ideas for your own community–clinical linkages. Learn NashvilleHealth’s Hypertension Approach CMS Expands Coverage of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will now cover ABPM for Medicare beneficiaries with specific types of hypertension diagnoses. Learn more about the decision and what is covered. Read About the Expanded Coverage The Science of Million Hearts® High blood pressure and cholesterol in early life increases CVD risk in later life. (J Am Coll Cardiol) Tobacco cessation strategies in Medicaid-expansion states were more effective than in non-expansion states. (Nicotine Tob Res) Hypertension medication nonpersistence was lower in 2014 than in 2007. (Hypertension) Length of smoking cessation periods linked to lower risks of heart diseases and stroke. (J Am Coll Cardiol) Study examines factors influencing CR referral and use after percutaneous coronary intervention. (J Am Coll Cardiol)