Team Up. Pressure Down. Partner Engagement

1. Team Up. Pressure Down.Partner Engagement

2. The Issue: Hypertension Heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 800,000 adults in the U.S. each year. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Nearly 1 in 3 adults has hypertension and 36 million Americans do not have it under control. Taking hypertension medicines as prescribed can greatly reduce a patient’s risk for heart attack and stroke, yet 30% stop taking their medicines within 6 months and 50% stop within one year.

3. What Is Team Up. Pressure Down.? • Million Hearts™ is a national public-private initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. • Launching September 5, Team Up. Pressure Down. is a new Million Hearts™ program that promotes team-based care and offers support for health care professionals, helping Americans improve medication adherence and more effectively manage their blood pressure. • Team Up. Pressure Down. is a new pharmacy-focused program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts™ initiative co-led by the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). • Team Up. Pressure Down. offers time-saving resources and ideas to encourage and support pharmacists in providing counseling services to patients with high blood pressure – and the program can be tailored for any pharmacy setting.

4. Benefits of Partnering with Team Up. Pressure Down. • As a partner of Team Up. Pressure Down., your organization will be: • Recognized on the Team Up. Pressure Down. micrositeon the Million Hearts™ website at http://millionhearts.hhs.gov. • Listed as a partner at the September 5 launch. • Encouraged to co-brand Team Up. Pressure Down. materials to help market your organization’s involvement.

5. What a Team Up. Pressure Down. Professional Organization Partner Can Do Encourage your membership to sign up as Team Up. Pressure Down. partner on the Million Hearts™ website, once launched. Disseminate materials and program information to pharmacies and pharmacists. Identify pharmacies and pharmacists who align with the Team Up. Pressure Down. mission. Enroll pharmacies and pharmacists in your network to implement Team Up. Pressure Down. by customizing and tailoring materials for their unique settings. Print co-branded program materials and outline specific goals for your membership.

6. What a Team Up. Pressure Down. Corporate Partner Can Do PromoteTeam Up. Pressure Down. and highlight your role in this important effort. Sponsor printing of Team Up. Pressure Down. materials. Disseminate materials and program information to pharmacies and pharmacists within your network. Identify and enroll pharmacies and pharmacists in your network to implement Team Up. Pressure Down. – using the customizable outreach materials provided – and encourage them to participate by disseminating materials, engaging with patients, and/or tracking and evaluating patient outcomes.

7. What a Team Up. Pressure Down. Pharmacy Partner Can Do • PromoteTeam Up. Pressure Down. and highlight your role in this important effort by: • Raising awareness of the program among your pharmacy colleagues. • Printing and hanging the Team Up. Pressure Down. awareness poster. • Identify uncontrolled hypertensive patients and use Team Up. Pressure Down. materials to educate and encourage them to monitor their blood pressure regularly and take their hypertension medications as directed. • Create and implement policies and procedures to establish in-store blood pressure counseling services using Team Up. Pressure Down. materials. • Learn more by completing the Team Up. Pressure Down. Pharmacist Continuing Education (CE) online module. • Evaluate the success of Team Up. Pressure Down. by tracking patient outcomes (i.e. improved blood pressure, medication adherence, etc.).

8. Pharmacist Resources and Activities • Pharmacist Materials • DRAW® Tool • Pocket Discussion Tool • Blood Pressure Guide • Video Vignettes • Pharmacist Poster • Continuing Education Program • Patient/Consumer Materials • Blood Pressure Guide • Reminder Tear Pad • Refrigerator Magnet • In-store Postcard The Team Up. Pressure Down. Toolkit for partners will serve as a resource to provide information about the program and materials that partners can co-brand for distribution. Some of the materials in the toolkit include:

9. Join Us Now – Become a Team Up. Pressure Down. Partner Step 1 – Commit to reducing the incidence of heart attack and stroke by joining us as an official partner of the Team Up. Pressure Down. program. Step 2 – Promote Team Up. Pressure Down. among your networks by encouraging the use of program resources and tools, and co-branding and distributing print materials. Step 3 – Volunteer to be a sponsoring partner of the “Pioneer’s Challenge,” and help pharmacists to track, analyze, and evaluate the success of blood pressure counseling outcomes. For more information, send an e-mail to tupd@cdc.gov.