Heart Home | General Information | Data Resources | Clinical Guidelines | Contacts

Abstracts for Currently Funded REHD Projects

• Economic Opportunity Family Health Center, Inc.
• Fundación Familia Sana, Inc.
• Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center, Inc.
• Jackson County Health Department
• Minority Development & Empowerment, Inc.
• YMCA of Florida's First Coast

Economic Opportunity Family Health Center, Inc.

Funded Amount for 2006-07: $150,000

This project incorporates a mobile van outreach providing screening, referral, case management, and follow up for African Americans and Hispanics in a "Front Porch Community". The program is called CONTRL (Community Outreach on Nutrition, weight, exercise & Treatment to Reduce high blood pressure & Lower cholesterol) and it's goals are to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Project activities include:

• Operating from a mobile unit within the high risk community with two health educators and a nurse to identify individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease, refer to local resources, and disseminate prevention education materials.
• Conducting 20-minute educational classes from the mobile van including signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke, nutrition, weight management, exercise, and self-management.
• Providing home visits, if necessary.
• Delivering a "Personalized Teaching Session", which records blood pressure level, has a goal sheet, education pamphlets, and follow-up.
• Assisting with medications, if needed.
• Offering an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device if unsuccessful at controlling blood pressure.
• Marketing services in the community, including where the mobile unit will be stationed (various locations at set times).

Fundación Familia Sana, Inc.

Funded Amount for 2006-07:$116,345

This project is an adult Cardiovascular Health program which is implementing "Ama tu Corazón" modeled after the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Salud para su Corazón to assess, educate, refer, and follow up. The target population is Hispanics. Project activities include:

• Working directly with Center for Family Health (clinic for 20 years in Latino community), in partnership with the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Steps to a Healthier Hillsborough (CHD), and the American Heart Association.
• Providing a nine-session course on cardiovascular disease at the clinic.
• Providing a referral system at no cost.
• Using the Stages of Change Model to train lay health educators to deliver the course.
• Increasing awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, overweight, diabetes, and physical inactivity.
• Disseminating cardiovascular health education materials.
• Providing group health education classes to help individuals increase healthy lifestyle choices.
• Providing individual case management of high risk patients.

Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center, Inc.

Funded Amount for 2006-07: $150,000

This project expands a Chronic Disease Care Model in a Federally Qualified Health Center that offers self management teaching that targets African Americans and Hispanics. The project is finishing Phase III CVD Health Disparities Collaborative (HDC) along with Boston Scientific Foundation's Health Disparities Initiative. Through this initiative an in-house team named Cardiovascular Assertive Community Treatment Team (CACTT) was formed. This multi-disciplinary team has a registry of 852 active patients. This current project will enroll all (about 2000) patients with hypertension. The goal of the project is to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol in patients. Project activities include:

• Teaching patients self-management and conducting ongoing assessments, goal setting, action planning, and follow-up.
• Developing smoking cessation groups.
• Providing case management for Drug Assistance Program.
• Providing a year-round exercise program.
• Recruiting patients through health records, community health summits and hosting educational forums.

Jackson County Health Department

Funded Amount for 2006-07: $120,494

This project will provide a comprehensive cardiovascular prevention program through outreach, screening, and referrals that targets African Americans. This is a rural setting in a second year of delivering services for CVD prevention. The main goals are to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Project activities include:

• Providing outreach, screening, and referral to reduce cardiovascular risk.
• Collaborating and subcontracting with faith based and community organizations to deliver services.
• Providing fitness education programs.
• Providing smoking cessation classes, body mass index monitoring, and blood pressure and cholesterol screening.
• Developing community screening events.
• Providing education classes two times per month, which include Heart Healthy, Cholesterol Self Management, You and Your Heart, Signs and Symptoms.
• Implementing a media campaign to raise awareness of cardiovascular risks.
• Providing individual case management as needed.

Minority Development & Empowerment, Inc.

Funded Amount for 2006-07: $150,000

This project provides health risk assessments, referrals, nutrition, and physical activity for adult Haitian women. They provide education classes about cardiovascular risk factors, signs and symptoms of heart disease, and incorporating physical activity and good nutrition for the purpose of controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Project activities include:

• Delivering classes, such as smoking cessation, by bicultural, bilingual workers.
• Providing demonstrations of proper cooking techniques, ethnic recipes, supermarket tours, and low-cost foods.
• Developing walking clubs.
• Developing linkages to health care providers.
• Providing referral and follow-up on compliance of prescribed treatment medications.
• Providing motivational support for life style changes.
• Providing activities at various sites such as neighborhood centers, parks, and faith-based centers.
• Implementing a marketing campaign to inform the Haitian community of cardiovascular disease risks.

YMCA of Florida's First Coast

Funded Amount for 2006-07: $148,195

This project provides community assessments, outreach strategies, partnerships, educational activities, referral and case management that targets African Americans. The education and activities are located in targeted faith-based organizations. The goal of the project is to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Project activities include:

• Teaching signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease.
• Providing aerobic classes two days per week.
• Providing quarterly educational sessions.
• Developing a water aerobic program and providing transportation from the community to the YMCA for the use of the swimming pool.
• Referring patients to the appropriate community resources.
• Providing follow-up with patients