West virginia innovative cardiovascular wellness initiative - individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) face considerable challenges in their health and well-being, and despite significant…

West virginia innovative cardiovascular wellness initiative - individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) face considerable challenges in their health and well-being, and despite significant improvements in CVD prevention and management strategies, disparities linked to poorly adapted policies and practices, and racial inequity, have left disadvantaged populations behind. The west virginia university office of health services research (OHSR) proposes the west virginia innovative cardiovascular wellness initiative to address the substantial burden of CVD in west virginia (WV), the state with the greatest CVD burden in the united states. This initiative will focus on two qualifying census tracts (54039000900 and 54039000700) located in charleston, WV, with adults aged 18 and older with a hypertension crude prevalence rate of 53% or higher. Both tracts are more urban than rural compared to the rest of the state, and both are home to substantially higher proportions of racial minorities, specifically black or african american. Further, these regions have substantial aging and impoverished populations, including those with low educational attainment and household income. The purpose of the west virginia cardiovascular wellness initiative is to create, implement, and disseminate a system of care to address CVD risk factors including hypertension and high cholesterol, improve clinical and community linkages, and increase use of social support services in disparate populations. The short-term and intermediate outcomes of this initiative focus on improving the health and well-being of the approved populations via improved blood pressure control, reduced health disparities, and increased utilization of social support services in partner health care and community settings. This initiative is a coordinated effort across partners and organizations that do and those that do not receive funding from the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC). OHSR and cabin creek health systems will collaborate to implement a ND disseminate the system of care developed to address CVD risk to other health systems using a learning collaborative. The learning collaborative will consist of organizations with missions, visions, and values complementary to the intent and goals of this initiative. WV shares the CDC's vision of reduced disparities in cardiovascular health and improved cardiovascular health for all.