Ten University of Texas Medical Branch Community Clinics have been recognized by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association for their commitment to improving blood pressure control rates, with five earning Gold+ and five earning Silver
Recognition as part of Target: BP.
Target: BP is a national initiative formed in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure in the United States. It aims to help health care organizations improve blood pressure control rates through an evidence-based quality improvement
program and recognizes organizations committed to improving blood pressure control.
The Gold+ Recognition, which recognizes practices that demonstrate a commitment to measurement accuracy and in which high blood pressure is controlled in 70% or more of the affected adult patients, was awarded to:
- UTMB Health Primary & Specialty Care, Alvin
- UTMB Health Adult Primary & Specialty Care, Texas City
- UTMB Health Pediatric & Adult Primary Care, South Shore in League City
- UTMB Health Primary & Specialty Care, Town Center in League City
- UTMB Health Primary Care, Marina Bay in League City
The Silver Recognition, which recognizes practices that have demonstrated a commitment to improving blood pressure control through measurement accuracy, was awarded to:
- UTMB Health Primary Care, Bay Colony
- UTMB Health Family Medicine, Angleton
- UTMB Health Pediatric & Adult Primary Care, Friendswood
- UTMB Health Adult & Geriatric Primary Care, Angleton
- UTMB Health Primary & Specialty Care in Webster
“Addressing blood pressure management is key for better cardiovascular health—and critical today, when heart disease and stroke continue to be leading causes of death for adults in the U.S.,” said Dr. Carolyn Risinger, quality director
for the UTMB Community Based Clinics. “High blood pressure is a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly.”
According to Target: BP, high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and preventable death in the United States. There are 121.5 million U.S. adults living with hypertension—nearly half of all adults
in the country—and less than half of them have their blood pressure under control, making both diagnosis and effective management critical.
In the U.S., heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death, respectively, and stroke is a leading cause of disability.