New Funding for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program is pleased to announce the award of a five-year competitive grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) entitled, Innovative State and Local Public Health Strategies to Prevent and Manage Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke. This funding will support new approaches to implementing evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease in high­ risk and at-risk populations in Nevada.

As reported in the 2017 Nevada Rural and Frontier Health Data Book (8111 Edition), cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death in Nevada with a mortality rate of 191.5 deaths per 100,000 persons. According to the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for Nevada, 28.3% of adults were told they have hypertension by their primary care provider and 36.7% are estimated to have high blood cholesterol. Cardiovascular disease affects both the health and wallets of Nevadans; the associated annual statewide costs are estimated to be $7.2 billion.  Primary risk factors, such as hypertension and high blood cholesterol, can be managed through lifestyle changes. Yet, many Nevadans who have or are at risk of developing these conditions do not receive appropriate or timely intervention or treatment.

The Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program will use this opportunity to build sustainable, statewide partnerships to promote the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. The primary goal is to enable Nevadans to improve their blood pressure control and better manage their cholesterol through education and training in partnership with respected community organizations. Building on the Program's past accomplishments, such as the successful partnership with the Southern Nevada Health District's Barber Shop Hypertension Outreach Program in Las Vegas, this new funding will further support the implementation of innovative health improvement strategies using evidence­ based social and community models. The Nevada Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program aims to achieve outcomes such as improved blood pressure control and cholesterol management among high-risk andat-risk Nevadans to reduce the mortality rate associated with cardiovascular disease.