Mission

To reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke prevalence in Texas through the establishment of a network of multi-disciplinary partners working to address social needs and social supports to care for high-burden populations.

History and Goals

In 2024, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) transformed the Texas Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke Partnership into the Texas Cardiovascular Disease Learning Collaborative as part of our work under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Cardiovascular Health Program.

The Learning Collaborative is a volunteer network of partners that hosts quarterly meetings and convenes workgroups to coordinate statewide cardiovascular disease control and prevention efforts, promote successes and resources, and encourage partners to work together to navigate challenges. The Learning Collaborative’s membership is comprised of professionals from a variety of diverse fields: local and state government agencies, nonprofits and community organizations, academic and higher education institutions, and private and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).

The Learning Collaborative’s goals are:

• To improve health outcomes for priority populations through program services that use focused strategies to address social supports and social services.
• To prioritize populations and communities with the highest rates of cardiovascular disease, with a focus on advancing access to care for those with hypertension and high cholesterol.
• To serve populations and communities disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease, limited access to care, inadequate quality of care, or economic instability.

Priority Populations

DSHS identified several census tracts containing communities with the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in Texas, making these the Learning Collaborative’s priority populations. View these census tracts on these interactive maps. There are two interactive maps, one for the census tracts of focus for the CDC National Cardiovascular Health Program grant, and one for the CDC Innovative Cardiovascular Health Program grant.

Joining the Learning Collaborative

We are looking for partners that serve individuals located in the identified census tracts to join the Collaborative! If you serve individuals in any of the following priority zip codes (75473, 76050, 75488, 75904, 75861, 76019, 76106, 78220, 78229, 78207, 75791, 76117, 75232, 78521, 75201, 75453, 75561) and seek to commit and contribute to our mission and goals, we invite you to fill out our membership form. Eligible members would be experts in the cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment fields that may represent a variety of multi-disciplinary sectors. Eligible members would be experts in the cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment fields that may represent a variety of multi-disciplinary sectors.

Membership Expectations

• Attend quarterly collaborative meetings. If unable to attend, send an appointed delegate.
• Participate in a workgroup.
• Share individual or organizational efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease risk and mortality amongst priority populations.
• Serve individuals in census tract populations with the highest rates of cardiovascular disease.

Membership Benefits

• Gain deeper insights into the needs of patients and community members with cardiovascular disease.
• Learn about care strategies that address social needs and social supports.
• Build your skills and knowledge in areas like hypertension and cholesterol management, quality improvement strategies, team-based care models, and more.

Workgroups

• The Membership Workgroup oversees issues related to the recruitment, orientation, engagement, and retention of Learning Collaborative members. The Membership workgroup will guide the following:
  • Ways for engaging, orienting, and recognizing Learning Collaborative members.
  • Building and sustaining a broad range of professionals in membership.
  • The distribution of an annual membership assessment to determine the makeup of the Learning Collaborative and the satisfaction and needs of members.
• The Census Tract Workgroup provides feedback on grant activities being executed by contractors to serve populations of focus in the selected census tracts. The Census Tract Workgroup will shift priority based on region, and will be composed of contractors, Learning Collaborative members, and non-members, as needed, to address priority issues related to grant activities. The workgroup will:
  • Provide feedback and technical expertise on contractors’ presentations, reports, and grant deliverables as needed.
  • Establish PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) Cycles to determine the success and sustainability of contractor deliverables. If you’re interested in joining the Learning Collaborative, please fill out an online membership form. For more detailed information on the Learning Collaborative, please view this flyer.

If you’re interested in joining the Learning Collaborative, please fill out an online membership form. For more detailed information on the Learning Collaborative, please view this flyer.