Iowa cardiovascular health program - the iowa department of public health (idph) proposes to implement an iowa approach to "the national cardiovascular health program" (CDC-RFA-DP-23-0004)

The proposed project will implement the three required strategies. The department has the capacity and experience needed to serve all populations and communities within iowa with the intent of decreasing the burden of cardiovascular disease and reducing health disparities in priority populations throughout the state. The iowa project is built upon use of $961,997 as allocated in the published funding table. The project will be administered through the efforts of 2.7 full-time equivalents and the work of several contracted entities. Staff are subject matter experts in cardiovascular disease, program direction, data use and analysis, and contract management. Evaluation efforts will be led through a contract with the university of iowa center for public health evaluation and research. Program implementation will be supported with ongoing evaluation and continuous quality improvement activities. The team brings continuity of cardiovascular disease expertise, structured and well-developed partnerships, and capacity for achieving the stated outcomes in the project work plan. Idph will contract and partner with health care systems, federally qualified health centers and pharmacies to implement strategies that will 1) track and monitor clinical and social services and support needs measures shown to improve health and wellness, health care quality, and identify patients at highest risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with a focus on hypertension and high cholesterol; 2) implement team-based care to prevent and reduce CVD risk with a focus on hypertension and high cholesterol prevention, detection, control, and management through the mitigation of social support barriers to improve outcomes; and 3) link community resources and clinical services that support BI-directional referrals, self-management, and lifestyle change to address social determinants that put the priority populations at increased risk for cardiovascular disease with a focus on hypertension and high cholesterol. Idph will explore the landscape of the current systems in place for addressing social needs of populations at highest risk for CVD and engage partners to improve systems of care. Partners will also participate in a cardiovascular health learning collaborative to collaborate on how best to make an impact on priority populations with the highest prevalence of CVD to reduce health disparities and achieve optimal health outcomes. Through this work, iowa will realize improved blood pressure control, reduced disparities in blood pressure control, and increased utilization of social services and supports across the state.