Mainline Health Systems Inc. (MHSI) recently partnered with the American Heart Association to become a HeartCorps Site. HeartCorps is a Public Health AmeriCorps program that focuses on adding additional help to support our work around high blood pressure, nutrition security and smoking cessation.
HeartCorps members work in health centers, community organizations and public health departments in rural communities to help people improve and control their blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health.
What type of work will HeartCorps Members do?
- Supporting blood pressure self-monitoring initiatives
- Increasing adoption of evidence-based blood pressure measurement and management practices
- Facilitating blood pressure, tobacco and nutrition security screenings and referrals to care
- Connecting health centers with social platforms to facilitate ongoing screening and referral for social needs
- Establishing local support for patients/community members in navigating the care or resources they need
- Building community capacity to support healthy living and skill building including organizing, connecting and/or delivering community training and education opportunities
- Engaging local media in blood pressure and healthy living promotion
- Mobilizing the community to address contributing conditions such as nutrition security and tobacco
- Engaging youth in health promotion via cultivating and managing volunteer clubs in local schools or community organizations
Together, with the community, HeartCorps will improve blood pressure awareness and control, address unmet public health needs of rural communities and grow and diversify the public health and health care workforce.
A HeartCorps member will be stationed within our organization. This potential team member will help to support our patients in achieving better health and particularly better blood pressure control.
This is an exciting new adventure for our organization, and we are thrilled to partner with the American Heart Association.
To learn more about the American Heart Association HeartCorps Program, visit their website.