KEENE, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire’s Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene has been recognized for its work to help patients control blood pressure and to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the medical center as a Million Hearts 2013 Hypertension Control Champion, one of more than 60 practices nationwide nominated and one of only nine chosen for its work with patients.
It was praised for an initiative that has improved blood pressure readings of less than 140/90 from 69 percent of its patients in 2010 to over 84 percent in 2013.
An interdisciplinary team worked together to create a coordinated approach across all of their primary care offices and specialty departments. Some of the steps this group put into place were new equipment and education protocols, a hypertension registry, no-cost nurse clinic check-ups for high readings, and new patient education materials.
“I am extremely proud of the work the staff here at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene have put into this program,” said Don Caruso, medical director at CMC/DHK. “This is an excellent illustration of our goal to lead by example and this has gone a long way toward improving the health of our community inside and outside the facility.”
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