APhA Foundation, CDC partnering on CV outreach

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation recently announced a partnership intended to integrate pharmacy into public health efforts to manage hypertension.

According to a story posted on the APhA website, the two groups will work to develop partnerships with community pharmacies that are expanding clinical services. Through the partnership, APhA Foundation and the CDC also hope to identify new initiatives that will better employ pharmacies in team-based hypertension management.

“[CDC] is walking the walk by incorporating pharmacists onto their internal team as they help others in healthcare to do the same,” Lindsay Watson, PharmD, APhA Foundation director of applied innovation, said in a story posted on the foundation’s website. “CDC [understands] the evidence that supports pharmacists’ expanded role on the healthcare team.”

Barbara A. Bowman, director of the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, told APhA that pharmacists are vital to public health efforts to prevent and control hypertension and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. “We are thrilled to collaborate with APhA Foundation on these efforts to bridge public health and pharmacy work,” she said.

The CDC funds numerous projects aimed at reducing heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

“The CDC is providing pharmacy with a great opportunity to step up and partner with public health, which could bring even more attention to the impact of pharmacists’ patient care services,” said Benjamin Bluml, BS Pharm, APhA Foundation’s senior vice president for research and innovation.