CINCINNATI (October 21, 2024) – The Christ Hospital Health Network has received three American Heart Association outpatient program achievement awards in recognition for its commitment to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke by improving high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and blood pressure management. The awards recognize a commitment to following the latest scienced-based care guidelines.
This year, The Christ Hospital Health Network received the following awards:
•The American Heart Association’s Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ Gold Award
•The American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Gold Award
•Target: BP™ Gold Level recognition jointly presented by the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association
Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have some form of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke or heart failure. High cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled high blood pressure are leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but with timely diagnosis, research-based treatment and education, these conditions can be managed. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and preventable death in the U.S. There are 122.4 million U.S. adults living with hypertension.
“High blood pressure continues to be a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke,” said John Szawaluk, MD, cardiologist and Medical Director of the Resistant Hypertension Clinic at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “This award highlights the work our network does in lowering people’s risk of stroke and heart attack which remains essential to our mission.”
Cholesterol is one of the primary causal risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. More than 86 million adults in the U.S. have total cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dL or higher, and only slightly more than half of them are appropriately managing the condition. High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. If a person has other risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes, their risk increases even more.
“Heart disease and stroke remain leading causes of death for Americans and the work our pharmacy and primary care offices have done will save lives,” said Jennifer Wick, PharmD, MPH, BCACP Assistant Director of Pharmacy for Ambulatory Services at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “Discovering these risks early is the greatest way to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. Our pharmacy program has worked closely with our primary care offices to ensure our patients are getting the treatment and medication needed to control these factors to lower the risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke. We could not be more proud of this distinction and the hard work of our team at The Christ Hospital.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure for people living with Type 2 diabetes – yet in a survey of people age 45 and older with type 2 diabetes conducted by The Harris Poll, only half recognize their risk or have discussed their risk for heart attacks or strokes with their health care providers.
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 2024.
About Target: BPTM
Target: BP™ is a national collaboration between the American Heart Association and American Medical Association to reduce the number of Americans who suffer from heart attacks and strokes each year by urging physician practices, health systems and patients to prioritize hypertension control. The initiative aims to help health care organizations improve blood pressure control rates using evidence-based protocols, tools and resources and recognizes organizations that treat patients with hypertension for achieving blood pressure control rates within the populations they serve.
About Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™
The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building longer, healthier lives, created the Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ initiative with national support from Amgen to improve awareness, detection and management of high cholesterol for consumers, patients and health care professionals.
About Target: Type 2 Diabetes SM
The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building longer, healthier lives, created the Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ initiative as a part of the Know Diabetes by Heart™ effort to raise awareness and understanding of the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease among patients, caregivers and health care professionals as well as empower patients and caregivers to better manage risk factors.