Program Grants
State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health
This is a five-year CDC grant to implement a coordinated approach to reduce the burden of chronic condition.
For more information, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/state-public-health-actions.htm.
Projects
Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Project The Department of State
Health Services (DSHS) Heart Disease and Stroke Program, together with partners,
launched the Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Project in 2015. The TMF Quality
Innovation Network Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), DSHS, and Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) have partnered to increase blood
pressure control in Northeast Texas through a joint project focused on home
blood pressure monitoring. Home blood pressure monitoring, also known as
self-measured blood pressure monitoring, is an evidence-based practice for
improving blood pressure control. The project assists with efforts to increase
blood pressure control rates in areas of Texas with high hypertension
prevalence.
The Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Project was first piloted with four local
health departments. These health departments adopted policies and procedure to
support home blood pressure monitoring and worked with community partners to
identify patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure. A certified Community
Health Worker and/or staff provided patients with a home blood pressure monitor
and taught patients how to use the monitor and track their blood pressure.
Patients tracked their blood pressure daily and submitted weekly readings to
the health department. Results from the pilot included an average decrease of 12 points diastolic and 7
points systolic among participants.
For more information, please send an email to cardio@dshs.state.tx.us.
Texas Pharmacy Association – Texas Hypertension Adherence Project
The Texas Pharmacy
Association (TPA) implemented the Northeast Texas Hypertension Adherence
Program (NTHAP) to improve medication adherence and outcomes in high risk
patients with hypertension by connecting patients to community pharmacists.
Through this project, TPA developed a network of community pharmacists trained
in hypertension and in improving medication adherence, connected patients with uncontrolled hypertension to community
pharmacists for medication therapy management and counseling and lifestyle
modification support upon hospital discharge or primary care referral.
The
project implemented in three communities in Northeast Texas referred 55
patients to community pharmacists. Out of the 55 patients referred to the
program, 44 patients participated in the program, receiving counseling on the
importance of taking medication as prescribed. Nine
patients completed the program and achieved blood pressured control, defined as
less than 140/90 mmHG.
To view the project poster, click here.
Please visit:
http://www.texaspharmacy.org/?page=TexasHTN_Project_2&hhSearchTerms=%22Medication+and+adherence%22
Dallas Fort Worth Hospital
Council Education and Research Foundation (DFWHCERF)
The DFWHCERF, through its North Regional
Extension Center, worked with 11 physician practice groups to increase the use
of health information technology and electronic health records for identifying,
preventing and treating patients with high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and
diabetes. The practice groups completed quarterly surveys and developed
intervention plans to evaluate progress in improving their electronic health
record systems to better identify and treat patients with high blood pressure,
pre-diabetes, and diabetes. DFWHCERF provided staff training and onsite
technical assistance to implement interventions. At the end of the project, 90.1 percent
of the practices are now able to report on hypertension (NQF18), up from 66
percent at the start of the project. Also, 96.4 percent of the practices are
now able to report on diabetes (NQF59), up from 87.5 percent at the start of
the project. Regarding prevention indicators, 54.0 percent of the practices are
now able to report on pre-diabetes, up from 50 percent at the start of the
project and 53.64 percent of the practices now record and track overweight and
obese patients, up from 44.31 percent at the start of the project.
The DFWHCRF also
conducted an environmental scan on the number and types of health systems in
Texas, developed a best practice document for improving electronic health
records, and provided outreach presentations on how to increase the use of
health information technology and electronic health records for chronic disease
management.
For more information, please visit:
https://dfwhcfoundation.org/
Texas Area Health Education Center East through the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Texas Area Health Education (AHEC) East, though the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, is improving its chronic disease management program by providing training to health professionals and providers. Training includes how to use clinical support tools and protocols to improve opportunities to diagnosis patients with hypertension and pre-diabetes, improve medication adherence among patients with diabetes and hypertension, and implement self-measured blood pressure monitoring.
Texas AHEC East launched the pilot project for self-monitoring blood pressure in two community clinics: League City and Angleton. The clinical staff identified patients with uncontrolled blood pressure and without blood pressure monitoring devices. The patients are provided blood pressure monitoring devices and clinical staff taught them how to use the monitors and document the readings at home, as well as guided them to identify healthy lifestyle changes to improve lower blood pressure readings. The clinical staff follows these patients through (1) clinical encounters, (2) phone calls, and (3) MyChart emails to make sure that patients use the monitors at home accurately. Results are expected in the Fall 2018.
Texas AHEC East conducted three
continuing education seminars on providers utilizing electronic health records,
current trends in hypertension management, and using a team approach for
improving medication adherence in patients diagnosed with hypertension
and other co-morbid conditions.
**Conference presentations are now available for PDF download below:**
For more information, please visit:
http://txaheceast.org/
Past Projects
Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials (ASTHO) to reduce disparities in hypertension identification and
control among Texans through a state-wide learning collaborative
The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Section (HPCDPS) has received a grant from the Association of State And Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to reduce disparities in hypertension identification and control among Texans through a state-wide learning collaborative.
The Texas Learning Collaborative: Creating Community-Clinical Linkages to Reduce Disparities in Hypertension Identification and Control implemented a multi-partner approach to support Texans with hypertension in achieving blood pressure control by increasing the reporting and monitoring of National Quality Forum Measure 18 (hypertension control), improving the identification of undiagnosed Texans with hypertension, and improving the diagnosis, treatment and follow up of Texans with hypertension.
The Texas Learning Collaborative supported the following local health departments in North and Northeast Texas to achieve project goals.
Jasper Newton County Public
Health District
Northeast Texas Public Health
District
Wichita Falls – Wichita County
Public Health District
For more information, please visit http://www.astho.org.