GRACE Community Clinic has been awarded Gold Status through the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA). The recognition is part of a national initiative to reduce the number of Americans living with uncontrolled blood pressure (hypertension).
“Target: BP” is a joint AHA and AMA partnership launched in 2015 to improve blood pressure control and aims to reduce the number of Americans who have heart attacks and strokes by urging medical practices, health service organizations, and patients to prioritize blood pressure control.
“We were able to receive this achievement through the dedicated volunteer providers under the leadership of our Medical Director, Song Lee, M. D.,” said Shirley Roberts, RN,BAS, CCM, the Community Clinic nurse manager.
Nurse Roberts credits the dedicated clinical staff for providing monitoring and education to GRACE patients who have a hypertension diagnosis.
The “Target: BP” goal was to obtain 70% control of patients with a hypertension diagnosis. The Community Clinic achieved 73% control of their patient population with high blood pressure controlled to less than 140/90 mm Hg.
The AHA recently set new blood pressure targets and treatment recommendations. For years, hypertension was classified as a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg or higher. The updated guideline classifies hypertension as a reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher.
“The Community Clinic will continue to focus on this initiative by increasing detection, evaluation and management of high blood pressure in adults,” said Roberts.
The Community Clinic has increased nursing visits for patients with hypertension to boost monitoring and educational efforts with goals of deceasing blood pressures and decreasing risks of heart attacks and strokes.
“Target: BP” supports physicians and care teams by offering access to the latest research, tools, and resources to reach and sustain blood pressure goal rates within the patient populations they serve.
According to “Target: BP”, about 85 million adults (approximately 1 in 3) in the United States have high blood pressure. Research shows that high blood pressure is a contributing factor to major health conditions including heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health concerns.
For more information, please contact Shirley Roberts, RN, BAS, CCM, at 817-305-7681 or email sroberts@gracegrapevine.org.
