CINCINNATI (October 11, 2022) – The Christ Hospital Health Network has been recognized by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association for its commitment to improving blood pressure (BP) control rates, earning Silver-level recognition as part of the Target: BP™ initiative.
The Silver award recognizes practices that have demonstrated a commitment to improving blood pressure control through measurement accuracy.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and preventable death in the U.S. There are 121.5 million U.S. adults living with hypertension. That is nearly half of all adults in the country. Unfortunately, less than half of them have their BP under control, making both diagnosis and effective management critical. In the U.S., heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death, respectively, and stroke is a leading cause of disability.
“Addressing blood pressure management is key for better cardiovascular health,” said John Szawaluk, MD, cardiologist and program director of clinical hypertension at The Christ Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute. “High blood pressure is a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly. Being a community leader in lowering people’s risk of stroke and heart attack is essential to our mission.”
Target: BP is a national collaboration between the American Heart Association and American Medical Association aimed at reducing the number of adults in the U.S. who suffer from heart attacks and strokes each year by urging physician practices, health systems and patients to prioritize BP control. The initiative aims to help health care organizations improve blood pressure control rates using evidence-based protocols and recognizes The Christ Hospital Health Network’s commitment to improving hypertension control.
“By committing to helping more people in Cincinnati control their blood pressure and reduce their risks for future heart disease and stroke, The Christ Hospital Health Network is taking a key step to helping more people live longer, healthier lives,” said Howard Haft, M.D., MMM, CPE, FACPE, volunteer expert for the AHA and executive director of the Maryland Primary Care Program, in Baltimore. “The Christ Hospital Health Network’s participation in the Target: BP initiative shows its dedication to turning clinical guidelines into lifelines for patients and their families.”
Learn more at TargetBP.org.
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For more than 130 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and more than 6,500 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region, named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2022 and one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades. It is also a Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award recipient, which recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that achieve the 95th percentile or above of performance in patient experience.