This episode emphasizes the importance of addressing heart disease and stroke prevention through approaches that center on health equity, including systems-level changes, quality improvement, and community development. CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is partnering with ASTHO to support jurisdictions in successfully integrating efforts with healthcare and community partners and implementing best practices and evidence-based policies to identify, control, and improve blood pressure. Esther Muña, CEO for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, the health agency for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, joins CDC’s Michael Sells and Chip Allen, director of health equity programs in Ohio, to explain how state and territorial health departments can improve health by being more intentional about enhancing community-clinical linkages, budgeting, and policymaking.

Guests:

• Michael L. Sells, MSPH, CHES, Project Officer, Advancing Population Health Team, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, CDC
• Johnnie “Chip” Allen, MPH, Director of Health Equity, Ohio Department of Health
• Esther L. Muña, MHA, CPC, CEO, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation

Resources:

• ASTHO’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Tools for Change Resource Library http://www.astho.org/Million-Hearts/State-Learning-Collaborative-Tools-for-Change/
•  CDC: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/index.htm
• ASTHO: Health in All Policies http://www.astho.org/Programs/HiAP/
• Community Commons https://www.communitycommons.org/
• The Health Opportunity and Equity (HOPE) Initiative
• http://www.nationalcollaborative.org/our-programs/hope-initiative-project/
• Race Forward https://www.raceforward.org/