Recently, we encouraged you to participate in the new Million Hearts pharmacy-based hypertension program, Team Up. Pressure Down., through the APhA Foundation’s Pharmacy Blood Pressure Challenge that launched this summer. I’ve spoken with several pharmacists who took us up on the challenge and found it incredibly easy to participate. Here’s the link again to the Pharmacy Blood Pressure Challenge. You’ll be surprised at how easy the website is to navigate, and your efforts need to be counted if pharmacists are to be valued!

Now, hot on the heels of launching Team Up. Pressure Down., Million Hearts has announced that two health care providers are the 2012 Hypertension Control Champions: Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Ellsworth Medical Clinic of western Wisconsin. Both health care providers have achieved hypertension control rates of more than 80% among their patients with high blood pressure.

We’re pleased to shout about the recognition of clinical pharmacists’ role in the hypertension control work of Kaiser Permanente Colorado. There, primary care teams and clinical pharmacy staff develop long-term medication management programs for patients with hypertension. In the video embedded in the Kaiser Permanente news release, a clinical pharmacy specialist describes how pharmacists help with medication questions and their use of electronic medical records.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recognized Kaiser Permanente Colorado in a ceremony at its East Denver Medical Office Building. Million Hearts Executive Director Janet Wright, MD, FACC, recognized Ellsworth Medical Clinic in a presentation in River Falls, WI.

APhA and the APhA Foundation are proud to be active partners in Million Hearts, the 5-year campaign led by CDC and CMS to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes. And we’re exceedingly proud of those pharmacists on integrated care delivery teams who helped patients keep their high blood pressure down.