Evaluating Blood Pressure Reduction Programs in Federally Qualified Health Centers

Bradi Granger, RN, PhD, has been awarded a Winston Salem State University-Duke University School of Nursing collaborative grant, in partnership with Kristina Roberson, DNP, NP-C, of Winston Salem State School of Nursing, and Howard Eisenson, MD, of Durham’s Lincoln Community Health Center. The program is designed to evaluate a blood pressure reduction program at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s) in both Durham and Guilford Counties.

The one year grant will provide funds to do a randomized study of the “Office Gap” medication monitoring and management program. The first six months will cover an intervention aimed at encouraging monitoring and medication optimization to reduce blood pressure, a major cardiovascular risk factor in the state and the local communities served by Lincoln Community Health Center.  The second six months of the study will evaluate whether the intervention has a sustained effect.

“This evaluation is designed to generate evidence about the role of community health workers in mediating the effectiveness of the intervention and decreasing a major cardiovascular risk factor.  We believe that effective management of blood pressure has the potential to help our communities avoid the burden of death and disability from cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks, as well as avoiding the burden on the health care system and on families that comes from the cost of caring for individuals who have experienced these major health issues,” said Granger.

“We hope that generating strong evidence can help persuade policy makers to invest in the role of community health workers to deploy self-management measures that can be more broadly implemented and adopted in community settings.”