More than 100 clinicians, primary care providers and population health representatives gathered virtually to help make New York State a healthier place at the Regional Hypertension Summit hosted by the American Heart Association.
Hypertension is often called the silent killer, and it is the most important modifiable risk factor for heart disease. According to the New York State Department of Health, one out of three New York adults has hypertension. However, only two out of three of those adults with hypertension have it under control.
To help change those statistics and improve the health of New Yorkers, the American Heart Association, in collaboration with local and national experts and community leaders, hosted the virtual summit on World Stroke Day, October 29th. Thanks to the virtual nature of the summit, participants attended from all over New York State.
The half-day summit included a state of New York’s health address from Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, MD, JD and featured speakers Michael Rakotz, MD FAHA FAAFP, Vice President, Health Outcomes with the American Medical Association; Keith Churchwell, MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP, President of Yale New Haven Health and AHA national board member; and Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAHA, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention with the American Heart Association.
Dr. Rakotz discussed the MAP (Measure accurately, Act rapidly, Partner with patients) framework and how it can be used achieve sustainable blood pressure control. Dr. Churchwell spoke on how the American Heart Association is addressing health equity and what hospitals and health systems can do. Dr. Sanchez emphasized that blood pressure control is a “team sport” and thanked the many volunteers who participated in the summits. He also discussed the lessons the Association learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they will guide it’s work for many years to come.
The American Heart Association would like to thank regional sponsors St. Joseph’s Health and Mount Sinai South Nassau and track sponsor HealtheConnections.
By bridging geographical barriers and bringing people together, the American Heart Association and the health systems and community organizations it works with are helping control hypertension in New York State and create a healthier community.
For more on the Regional Hypertension Summit, including presentation materials as available, visit www.heart.org/RegionalBPSummit.
Main Room:
Breakout 1 – M – Measuring Blood Pressure Accurately
Breakout 1 – A – Act Rapidly to Treat Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure
Breakout 1 – P – Remote Patient Monitoring: Leveraging Technology to Improve Hypertension in Underserved Communities
Breakout 2 – M – Bringing Measure Accurately Training to your Team: A Target: BP Watch Party Toolkit Demonstration
Breakout 2 – A – Treating Resistant Hypertension: Pearls and Updates
Breakout 2 – A – Promoting the Use of Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Action to Address Hypertension
Breakout 2 – P – Integrated Practice Units and Remote Patient Monitoring: Advancing Excellence in Patient Engagement & Care
Breakout 2 – P – Bridging Clinic to Community Linkages: The YMCA’s Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program