The American Heart Association and American Medical Association celebrates the Houston organization for commitment to prioritizing blood pressure control
Houston, TX (Dec. 10, 2020) — Kelsey-Seybold Clinic has been recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA) for its commitment to helping improve blood pressure (BP) control rates among the patient populations they serve, earning Gold-level recognition as part of the 2020 Target: BP™ Recognition Program.
The Gold award recognizes healthcare practices treating patients with hypertension, for achieving BP management rates at or above 70 percent within the populations they serve.
Hypertension (high BP) is a leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and preventable death in the United States. In addition, there are 116 million U.S. adults living with high BP, and less than half of those people have their BP under control – making diagnosing and effectively managing hypertension critical. While research in JAMA shows that overall rates of BP control have declined in recent years, the Surgeon General's call to action to prioritize hypertension control in the United States illustrates that optimizing hypertension control could not be more timely or needed.
"Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is proud to receive this recognition from the American Heart Association and be awarded the Target BP Gold Award," said Leon Jerrels, R.N., director for Quality Improvement at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. "Receiving this recognition shows us that the standards we follow, and protocols we have in place, are working to help keep patients with hypertension to better manage this chronic disease that can lead to devastating complications."
Target: BP is a national collaboration between the AHA and the AMA aimed at reducing the number of Americans suffering from heart attacks and strokes each year by urging physician practices, health systems, and patients to prioritize BP control. The initiative aims to help health care organizations improve BP control rates through use of the evidence-based AMA MAP BP™ quality improvement program, and recognizes organizations committed to improving blood pressure control.
Learn more at TargetBP.org.