Hypertension Awareness Resources

Hypertension is a prevalent, chronic disease in the United States. It can lead to many detrimental effects in patients, some of which are the leading causes of death (stroke and heart disease). Each time your patient walks through your facility door you are likely to be treating the effects of uncontrolled or undiagnosed hypertension. This is important because it not only signifies an unhealthy patient but also increases the risk of readmission if your patient is not properly educated on the treatment and maintenance of their disease.

The KHA Quality department has a goal this year of bringing awareness to hypertension, “the silent killer”, so that it stays in the forefront of your mind as you treat your patient in hopes that this awareness will lead to a healthier Kentucky. Each month, I will share a short webisode, hypertension games, statistics, or resources to enhance your knowledge.

Photo of Jessica Covington

Jessica Covington, PharmD, BCPS
Quality Program Pharmacist
Kentucky Hospital Association
jcovington@kyha.com

The Impact of Hypertension in Kentucky: How Hospitals and Health Systems Can Help

August 2024

The KHA quality team was delighted to host Kari Moore, acute care nurse practitioner who specializes in stroke and cerebrovascular disease with over 20 years of experience and currently is the Executive Director of Patient Care Services at Regional Brain Institute. Kari presented The Impact of Hypertension in Kentucky: How Hospitals and Health Systems Can Help for August’s hypertension awareness campaign. She discussed the current state of hypertension for those at highest risk from an outpatient and inpatient perspective in Kentucky. Kari shared best practice models for how your health system can explore care delivery gaps, develop hypertension focused protocols, and manage considerations for implementing an outpatient hypertension clinic. 

Food for Thought: A Dietician’s Guide to Blood Pressure Control

July 2024

Have you ever wanted to cheat on your diet but then felt like you failed? What about all of the patients you may have educated on employing a heart healthy diet to control their hypertension just to find they come back in the office deflated because they can’t sustain the diet?  Registered dietician Olivia Clements discusses how food plays a role in controlling hypertension. Learn more about a dietician’s guide to achieving realistic care plans to establish and maintain blood pressure control.

Home Monitoring of Blood Pressure Video: How to Measure Accurately!

June 2024

Do you struggle with helping your patients adhere to a blood pressure tracking measurement regimen at home? One important way to bring control to hypertension in our state is to measure blood pressure accurately. June’s hypertension awareness activity is a patient video on how to measure blood pressure at home. You may share this video with your patients, in your waiting rooms, and in patient rooms prior to discharge! 

Quick Guide to Accurately Measure Blood Pressure

May 2024

As healthcare leaders, we have a call to action in Kentucky to bring awareness to hypertension. One important way to bring control to hypertension in our state is to measure blood pressure accurately. May’s hypertension awareness activity is a presentation and videos on how to precisely measure blood pressure as well as why accuracy matters.

Engage with Your Community in the Fight Against Hypertension

April 2024

As healthcare leaders, we have a call to action in Kentucky to bring awareness to our communities regarding hypertension. For the April hypertension awareness activity, we discussed Kentucky hypertension data, an overview of hypertension, how uncontrolled hypertension relates to health equity and SDOH, as well as shared resources with community partners (Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Home Health, Patients and Families). Please click the link to discover great resources and tools provided in this month’s KHA Quality hypertension awareness campaign.

Hypertension Matters Stats Talk

March 2024

This presentation provides hypertension statistics and data, including:

  • Hypertension Prevalence by County (2018-2020)
  • Hypertension Mortality Rates
  • Contributing Factors Compounding Hypertension

Why Does Hypertension Matter to Our Kentucky Hospitals?

January 2024

Past Hypertension Resources

TitleSummaryCategoriesTagsFile TypeLinkDatehf:doc_categorieshf:doc_tagshf:file_type
KHA Quality Webinar: The Impact of Hypertension in Kentucky: How Hospitals and Health Systems Can Help

, wwwAugust 28, 2024hypertension kha-quality-webinarwebinarwww
Food for Thought: A Dietician’s Guide to Blood Pressure Control

wwwJuly 25, 2024hypertensionwebinarwww
Learn How to Take Your Blood Pressure at Home

wwwJune 21, 2024hypertensionwebinarwww
Quick Guide to Accurately Measure Blood Pressure

wwwMay 29, 2024hypertensionwebinarwww
Engage with Your Community in the Fight Against Hypertension

, , wwwMay 6, 2024health-equity hypertension social-drivers-of-healthwww
Hypertension Matters Stats Talk

This presentation provides hypertension statistics and data, including: Hypertension Prevalence by County (2018-2020), Hypertension Mortality Rates, and Contributing Factors Compounding Hypertension.

pdfMarch 27, 2024hypertensionpdf
Why Does Hypertension Matter to Our Kentucky Hospitals?

wwwJanuary 5, 2024hypertensionwebinarwww