Texas Hypertension Control Learning Collaborative Calls for Applications!
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the American Heart Association are inviting primary care clinics in Texas to participate in the Texas Hypertension Control Learning Collaborative (THCLC).
The THCLC project is aimed to help clinics improve hypertension control rates through the adoption and implementation of self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring policies and protocols.
Applications are being accepted through December 10, 2021.
Key Dates and Materials
Grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Texas Heart Disease and Stroke
Program (HDSP) was awarded two cooperative agreements, or grants, from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2018. Through these awards,
CDC provides guidance to state health departments to implement evidence-based
strategies that help control high blood pressure and manage high cholesterol in
health care and community settings.
In collaboration with the DSHS
Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, the strategies for CDC-RFA-DP18-1815, Improving the
Health of Americans through the Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Heart
Disease and Stroke, include to:
- Promote the use of electronic health
records in clinics to find and treat patients who have high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, or both and to improve outcomes.
- Increase the use of non-physician team
members, such as pharmacists, nurses, medical assistants and community health workers
to help patients lower their high blood pressure and high cholesterol, or both.
- Promote medication therapy management
(MTM) between pharmacists and primary care providers to help patients manage their
high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or both. MTM includes reviewing
medications, educating, and reminding patients to take medications as the primary
care provider prescribed; monitoring the patients’ high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, or both; and adjusting medications if needed.
- Support health systems and communities
to educate patients with high blood pressure, how to monitor their blood
pressure at home through self-measured blood pressure monitoring.
- Support health systems to refer patients
diagnosed with high blood pressure to community resources and evidence-based programs
to lower blood pressure.
For CDC-RFA-DP18-1817,
Innovative State and Local Public Health Strategies
to Prevent and Manage Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke, the strategies
include:
- Find and treat more patients with
undiagnosed high blood pressure using electronic health records and health
information technology.
- Track and monitor data shown to improve
health care quality. This data helps identify patients with high blood pressure
and high blood cholesterol.
- Carry out team-based care for patients
with high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. This includes testing different
ways to reach out to the care team including nurses, medical assistants,
community health workers and pharmacists for high blood pressure and
cholesterol management.
- Promote the use of MTM between community
pharmacists and primary care providers to manage high blood pressure and high
cholesterol and promote lifestyle changes.
- Increase the use of community health
workers and patient navigators to help patients manage high blood pressure and
high cholesterol.
- Increase patient referrals from clinics
to community resources to help lower high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Examples include educational classes on how to take blood pressure readings
from home, eating a healthy diet, and increasing physical activity.
- Also, increase patient referrals from
the community to clinics to have providers see the patients and work together
to help manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Expand the use of telehealth, including
mobile health technology, to help patients manage high blood pressure and high
cholesterol.
HDSP staff
provide guidance and technical assistance to the following organizations and
partners in implementing the above strategies in DSHS Public Health Regions 4-8.
- Northeast Texas
Public Health District
- University of
Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
- University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston
- University of Texas Health Science
Center at Tyler
- DSHS Office of Border Public Health, Public
Health Region 8
Projects
Texas Hypertension Control Movement
Since 2018, the HDSP has partnered with
the American Heart Association (AHA) to improve blood pressure control for a
healthier Texas. The purpose of this collaboration is to bring together clinics
and community-based organizations, along with academic institutions, to achieve
hypertension control across Texas. This is done by using Target: BP™ and CDC strategies.
GOAL:
Achieve >70 percent hypertension control across Texas by 2024.
Regional Hypertension Collaboratives
To
help achieve hypertension control across Texas, staff from the HDSP and AHA support
the Regional Hypertension Collaboratives in Texas. At the regional and local
levels, leaders from health care and community settings come together to:
- Learn and help achieve hypertension control
through Target:BP™ and the M.A.P. framework (M=Measure accurately, A=Act
rapidly and P=Partner with patients)
- Connect with local partners
- Share resources to assist patients control their
high blood pressure
Texas Hypertension Control Summit
Each year, staff from the
HDSP collaborates with the AHA, American Medical Association, and the Chair
from the Texas Cardiovascular and Stroke Partnership to plan and host the Texas
Hypertension Control Summit. The Summit brings together national
experts and Texas leaders to share the latest evidence-based strategies to help
improve hypertension in clinical and community settings across Texas.
Medication Therapy Management
The
National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, CDC, and HDSP staff work with
organizations to carry out team-based care interventions. These interventions focus
on making sure patients take their medication correctly. This is part of the MTM
protocols for community pharmacists. Organizations include the University of
Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy; Brookshire Food and Pharmacy in Tyler,
Texas; and Tarrytown Pharmacy in Austin, Texas.
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