MinuteClinic Joins With American Heart Association To Help Americans Reduce High Blood Pressure

WOONSOCKET, R.I., July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an ongoing effort to help Americans reduce high blood pressure, MinuteClinic, the retail health care division of CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), is joining with the American Heart Association in a nationwide effort to improve the identification, treatment and management of high blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association, one in three American adults has high blood pressure, or hypertension. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure.

Through this collaboration in hypertension management, MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants will be trained in the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines on the treatment and management of high blood pressure and will refer patients who are identified to have high blood pressure to their primary care physician and to educational resources to help them understand how they can manage their condition. MinuteClinic and the American Heart Association are accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as nursing accredited providers of educational programs and are committed to improving patient health.

"We are delighted to develop a high blood pressure continuing education course targeted specifically for nurse practitioners and physician assistants," said Suzanne Oparil, M.D., Program Chair/Physician Expert, AHA Education Program on Hypertension. "High blood pressure is a significant concern for a large portion of the adult population and much of it goes untreated. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants play a major role in managing hypertension in professional office settings, community settings and in convenient sites of care such as retail clinics.  More and more health care is moving out into the community and this training will provide updated treatment guidelines, support the diverse educational needs of patients and assist with ongoing monitoring, which is critical for good blood pressure management."

MinuteClinic medical clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who provide treatment for common family illnesses and administer wellness and prevention services, including health condition monitoring and evaluation for hypertension.

1 2 Next › Last »