HHS Hypertension Innovator Award Competition

This $3.3 million dollar competition will identify pre-existing programs that care for women with hypertension who are pregnant and/or postpartum. The competition looks for programs that provide effective monitoring and follow-up to improve rates of hypertension control.

“I issued a Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension - PDF urging Americans to recognize and address hypertension control as a national, public health priority,” said Surgeon General VADM Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “We’ve seen how costly and dangerous uncontrolled hypertension can be for all Americans, but the impact is extremely critical for women who are pregnant and/or postpartum. We must ensure that women with and at risk for hypertension receive optimal care, including support for self-monitoring, in order to control high blood pressure before, during, and after pregnancy. Achieving control of hypertension will help women live longer, healthier lives.”

In the United States, high blood pressure affects in one in every 12 to 17 pregnancies among women ages 20 to 44. In addition, high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which were responsible for one in three pregnancy-related deaths from 2011 – 2015.

“Women’s hearts work harder than normal during pregnancy. Having hypertension adds stress to the body and significantly increases the risk of pregnancy complications,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health and Director of the Office on Women’s Health, Dorothy Fink, M.D. “The hypertension challenge will align with the Surgeon General’s recent Hypertension Call to Action and help us identify existing programs that show promise for women during pregnancy and after giving birth.”