Cardiovascular Health Toolkit for Local Health Departments
NACCHO is collecting resources to support local health departments' policy and program efforts to improve community-level cardiovascular health.
This toolkit classifies resources by the following three topic areas, providing links to relevant webpages and downloads of useful resources:
- Guidelines and Research
- Planning and Program Implementation Resources
- Success Stories
For any questions or requests to submit materials that support a local response to the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, please contact us at [email protected]
| Title | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol | American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association | Guideline to address the practical management of patients with high blood cholesterol and related disorders. |
| 2019 CVD Primary Prevention Guidelines | American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association | Guideline of existing recommendations and various recent scientific statements, expert consensus documents, and clinical practice guidelines focused on aspirin use, physical activity, tobacco use, team-based care, shared decision-making, and assessment of social determinants of health targeting the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. |
| Clinical Overview of Heat and Cardiovascular Disease | CDC | This guidance document is intended to help support conversations with patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) on the impact of heat on CVD. |
| Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 and Online Materials | DGA | The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease. |
| Disparities in Cardiovascular Mortality Between Black and White Adults in the United States, 1999 to 2019 | NIH | This study used CDC WONDER to analyze age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality rates among Black and White adults (≥25 years) in the U.S. from 1999 to 2019, comparing trends by sex, census region, urbanization, and neighborhood segregation. |
| Heart Health Resource Hub | ODPHP | MyHealthFinder provides information on how to maintain heart health with tools for healthy eating, physical activity, lowering stress, quit smoking and more. |
| Improving Identification and Diagnosis of Hypertensive Patients Hiding in Plain Sight in Health Centers | The Joint Commission Journal | Report identifying undiagnosed hypertensive patients using algorithmic logic programmed into clinical decision support approaches. |
| National Forum Signature Reports | The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | Series of reports focused on the state of cardiovascular disease and stroke in the nation. The reports highlight trends and opportunities for improving heart health. |
| Physical Mobility Impairment and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease | NIH | This study looked at the relationship between impaired mobility and CVD and risk of diabetes among people with disabilities. |
| Prevalence of Self-Reported Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Adults — United States, 2017–2021 | CDC | This is report on the decrease use of antihypertensive medication among U.S. adults with hypertension between 2017-2021. |
| State-Level Variation in Nonfatal and Fatal CV Events Targeted for Prevention by Million Hearts 2022 | CDC | Report describing the burden of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events and the prevention efforts of Million Hearts 2022 |
| The Heart Truth® | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute | The Heart Truth® program coordinates a robust network of public and private organizations committed to promoting heart health through outreach, education, and social and digital media. |
| The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension | HHS | The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Control Hypertension seeks to avert the negative health effects of hypertension by identifying evidence-based interventions that can be implemented, adapted, and expanded in diverse settings across the United States. |
| Title | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 OSH's Year of Cessation | Office on Smoking and Health | The Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) has declared 2019 its Year of Cessation. Here you will find more information and access resources to further cardiovascular disease prevention efforts on tobacco cessation. |
| Advancing Team-Based Care Through the Use of Collaborative Practice Agreements and Using the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process to Manage High Blood Pressure | NACDD | Learning program of seven state teams designed to accelerate team-based care using the pharmacists’ patient care process and collaborative practice agreements designed to manage high blood pressure. |
| Best Practices for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Programs | CDC | Eight evidence-based strategies for lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, along with resources and tools that can be implemented in health care systems and that involve community-clinical links. |
| Community-Clinical Linkages for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases: A Practitioner's Guide | CDC | This document guides public health practitioners on key strategies to implement community-clinical linkages that focus on adults 18 years or older. |
| Eat Healthy, Be Active Community Workshops | Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion | Six one-hour workshops featuring the updated nutrition recommendations based on the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. |
| The Guide to Community Preventive Services: Cardiovascular Disease | Community Preventive Services Task Force | A collection of evidence-based findings of the Community Preventive Services Task Force with resources to help select interventions to improve health and prevent disease, including cardiovascular disease, in your community or organization. |
| Healthy Heart Toolkit and Research | Environmental Protection Agency | A collection of tools and resources on the link of air quality and heart disease. |
| Local Health Department and Community Toolkit for Improving Hypertension Outcomes | Wisconsin Department of Public Health | This toolkit aims to improve hypertension outcomes by strengthening collaboration between local health departments and health systems. It is designed for local health department officers and staff, as well as health boards. |
| Million Hearts® Action Guides | CDC | Series of guides that provides clinicians, employers, and public health practitioners with evidence-based strategies for improving cardiovascular health. |
| Million Hearts® Tobacco Cessation Change Package (TCCP) | CDC | A quality improvement resource that offers a set of evidence-based changes aimed at improving the delivery of clinical interventions for the treatment of tobacco use and dependence. The tools and resources in the TCCP can be adapted and scaled to meet an organization’s needs, and are designed for use outpatient, inpatient, and behavioral health settings. |
| Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program | CDC | Website that tracks stroke performance measures, provides resources to improve the quality of and access to care for stroke patients. |
| Physical Activity Breaks for the Workplace | CDC | This guide provides employers with resources and ideas to help employees build short activity breaks into their workdays. The guide is designed for all employers, regardless of size or industry type. |
| Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Implementation Guide for Health Care Delivery Organizations | National Association of Community Health Centers | A guide to help health care delivery organizations implement SMBP into practice or optimize existing SMBP processes. |
| Stroke Communications Toolkit | CDC | Toolkit includes social media messages and shareable graphics to help audiences under the basics of stroke, including signs and symptoms, the importance of F.A.S.T. response during a stroke, and treatment. |
| Tobacco Control Policy Tool | Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network | Provides decision-makers and health professionals with estimates of the projected impact of four specific tobacco control policies on public health in the U.S. |
| Tobacco Free CA | California Department of Health | A new campaign from Tobacco Free CA called "Flavors Hook Kids" uses creative, colorful marketing to educate parents and young consumers about the dangers of flavored tobacco products. |
| WISEWOMAN | CDC | The WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation) program was created to help women understand and reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke by providing services to promote lasting heart-healthy lifestyles. |
| Title | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hypertension Control Champions Success Stories | Million Hearts® | The Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions are clinicians, practices, and health systems that have successfully completed the Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Challenge. Here you will find success stories of how practices and systems have implemented successful hypertension control strategies. |
| Million Hearts® in Action Stories | The Million Hearts® Collaboration | A collection of stories that highlight the work of states, partners, champions and individual survivors to help inspire, share best practices and advance the goals of Million Hearts®. |
| Using EHRs to Identify People with Uncontrolled Hypertension | NACDD | Connecticut's public health department worked with eHealthConnecticut, its regional extension center, to develop a centralized web-based dashboard where each health system can report and compare patient data to find people with undiagnosed hypertension. |
| What's Working in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control | NACDD | Catalog of chronic disease efforts in states, territories, and tribes. |
| Title | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package (Second Edition) | CDC-Million Hearts(R) | The purpose of the CRCP is to help quality improvement teams from hospitals and cardiac rehab (CR) programs implement systems and strategies that target improved care for more patients eligible for CR. |
| Cardiovascular Disease Program Toolkit | CDC | A collection of resources focused on managing and evaluating programs related to cardiovascular disease and health. |
| Cholesterol Management Change Package (CMCP) | Million Hearts(R) | A list of evidence-based process improvements that outpatient clinical settings can implement as they seek optimal cholesterol management. |
| Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention’s (DHDSP) Best Practices Clearinghouse | CDC-DHDSP | The purpose of the Best Practices Clearinghouse is to provide a centralized and organized source of best practices and strategies that will aid in improving heart disease and stroke prevention and management. |
| EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series | EPA | EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) hosts this monthly public webinar series to translate EPA research and share research resources and information that are useful, practical/applied and available to meet stakeholders' research needs. |
| Health, United States – Infographics | CDC | This infographic highlights racial and ethnic disparities in heart disease in the United States in 2019. |
| How Smoking Affects Heart Health | FDA | This website provides statistics and infographic on how smoking can affect heart health. |
| Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package (HCPC) | CDC-Million Hearts(R) | The HPCP is composed of change concepts, change ideas, and evidence- or practice-based tools and resources. It presents an evidence-informed listing of process improvements with accompanying tools and resources that outpatient clinicians and care team members can implement as they provide care to pregnant and postpartum women and women of reproductive age with a focus on early identification, optimal management, and prevention of complications of hypertension in pregnancy. |
| Million Hearts ® Action Guides | CDC - Million Hearts | Series of guides that provides clinicians, employers, and public health practitioners with evidence-based strategies for improving cardiovascular health. |
| MWTM: Utilitarian (Every Day) Physical Activity | The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | This flyer promotes Utilitarian (every day) physical activity which refers to activities that serve a practical purpose beyond the immediate health or fitness benefits. |
| National Forum Shared Decision Guide | The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | In shared decision-making, healthcare providers and patients work together to make the best possible healthcare decisions. Developed by the National Forum’s Value & Access Collaboration, four guides are available for healthcare providers and patients to engage in shared decision-making using the SHARED approach. |
| Partnering for Health: How Mayors, Local Leaders, and Local Public Health Departments Can Work Together to Promote Health | The National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | This guide provides information on how mayors and local health departments can establish partnerships for public health. |
| Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Implementation Toolkit | National Association of Community Health Centers | This implementation guide is designed to help health care delivery organizations implement SMBP into practice or optimize existing SMBP processes. |
| Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Monitoring Featured Resources | Million Hearts(R) | This webpage features different Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Monitoring resources |