Cardiovascular Health Initiative (CVHI)

Program Overview

The Georgia Cardiovascular Health Initiative (CVHI) is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. The CVHI seeks to improve cardiovascular outcomes by employing strategies that result in system, policy and/or environmental changes targeting four domains: healthcare, worksites, communities and schools. The work of the CVHI is guided by six priority areas: improve blood pressure control, improve high blood cholesterol control, awareness of signs and symptoms/call 911, improve quality of care, improve emergency response and eliminate disparities.

Program Objective

To reduce death and disability due to heart disease and stroke and eliminate disparities.

Program Highlights

Since the launch of the Georgia Worksite Wellness Initiative more than 58 Georgia Worksite have implemented wellness policies that support healthy eating, increased physical activity, education on signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke and/or smoke free air policies.

In 2009, the CVHI launched the Hypertension and Cholesterol Training Academy. The Academy targeted health care providers in rural communities with high rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The curriculum focused on current guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterols, lipid management and strategies for implementation of life style modification.

The North Central Health District’s CVH Program of Excellence expanded its current faith based network from 20 to 30 faith-based organizations. Additionally, the Partnership established two new cardiovascular wellness center sites in low income neighborhoods increasing from two to four.

Through a partnership with the American Heart Association, the Albany Health District and the Southwest Georgia Stroke Coalition more than 300 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel were trained on Miami University’s Acute Stroke Life Support (ASLS) pre-hospital curriculum. As a result of this training, two local EMS providers adopted the ASLS curriculum as a part of their annual re-certification requirements.