Health insurer Providence Health Plan and the American Heart Association announced last week that they have teamed up to launch a cardiovascular health initiative supporting underserved communities in Oregon and Washington.
Through the initiative -- which is called Embracing Community Care -- the two organizations will create self-measured blood pressure programs in 20 community organizations and clinics over three years. It is starting with the Portland Opportunities and Industrialization Center (POIC), which provides education, employment and training, community safety and family and wellness services to more than 3,000 people.
The program at POIC will give its students and staff blood pressure measurement kits that have a blood pressure device and cuff. They also have an instruction booklet that provides information on how to take blood pressure readings, what the readings mean and how they can improve their blood pressure numbers. POIC students and staff can rent these kits like books at a library.
"I don't think there's a lot of awareness all the time about high blood pressure and how important this is to our health, and this is going to be a real, tangible way that we're going to be able to really move the needle in our communities around that education and understanding," said Don Antonucci, president and CEO of Providence Health Plan, in an interview.
Antonucci added that the other programs will have similar components to the POIC program, like the blood pressure cuff monitors and the education materials, though the execution of the programs may vary. He mentioned that Providence Health Plan has a dedicated team collaborating with the American Heart Association to pinpoint additional organizations for the initiative. They are particularly focused on identifying groups serving populations with limited access to blood pressure education and services.
About half of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure and often don't know they have it, according to the American Heart Association. Certain groups are also more likely to have high blood pressure: 50% of men have high blood pressure, versus 44% of women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 56% of Black adults have high blood pressure compared to 48% of White adults, 46% of Asian adults and 39% of Hispanic adults.
In launching the initiative with the American Heart Association, Providence Health Plan ultimately aims to move the needle on these stats.
"The health challenges we're addressing through this expanded initiative are significant and persistent," said Laurel Soot, M.D., FACS, chief medical officer of Providence Health Plan, in a statement. "One-third of Oregonians have high blood pressure, with Black and Hispanic individuals facing disproportionately higher risks. By combining proven approaches with strong community engagement, we're striving to create meaningful, lasting improvements in cardiovascular health across the Pacific Northwest."
Providence Health Plan and the American Heart Association are also working with each other to address food insecurity through Stocking Healthy Pantries, which is an education-based food drive initiative that is starting this year.