Cardiovascular Health Toolkit for Local Health Departments

Guidelines are a compilation of existing recommendations, evidence-based documents, and clinical practice guidelines focused on cardiovascular health.

• 2013 Guideline on Lifestyle Management to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk (American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology)
  • Guideline on the assessment of CVD risk, lifestyle modifications to reduce CVD risk, management of blood cholesterol in adults, and management of overweight and obesity in adults.
• 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.
• Check It, Change It: A Community-Based, Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Control (American Heart Association)
  • Study that illustrates a multifaceted blood pressure control program that uses a web-based health portal, community health coaches, and physician assistant guidance could improve hypertension control in a diverse community setting.
• Heart Disease Death Rates Among Blacks and Whites Aged ≥35 Years — United States, 1968–2015 (CDC)
  • Study illustrating the findings of racial and geographical disparities in heart disease death rates.
    
• 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.
• Prevalence of Self-Reported Hypertension and Antihypertensive Medication Use Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years — United States, 2011–2015 (CDC)
  • Report on the decrease use of antihypertensive medication among U.S. adults with hypertension.
    
• 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
    

Program Implementation highlights examples of local level cardiovascular health interventions including topics such as Million Hearts, Tobacco, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring, and Air Quality.

• 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.
    
• Assessment to Action: A Sodium Reduction Tool (Health Resources in Action)
  • A web-based assessment and action planning tool that food service programs can use to assess their current sodium policy and practices and develop site-specific sodium reduction action plans.
• 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.
    
• eCARDIO Hub (National Minority Cardiovascular Alliance)
  • eCARDIO Hub is intended to serve as an interactive central repository for individuals and organizations working in the minority cardiovascular health field. The creation of eCARDIO Hub will enable those working in this space to have access to relevant information in one convenient location, while increasing the speed of dissemination of new findings.
• 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.
• Laws and Policies that Support the Reduction of Sodium in the Food Supply (CDC)
  • Access resources on state governments' laws and policies related to dietary sodium and sodium intake in various populations.
    
• 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.

• 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®.
• 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.
• WISEWOMAN Success Stories (CDC)
  • Highlights of how WISEWOMAN programs implement innovative approaches within their health systems and communities to help low-income women identify and manage their heart disease and stroke risk.
• What's Working in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control (NACDD)
  • Catalog of chronic disease efforts in states, territories, and tribes.