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Implement activities into lesson plans that teach children how to maintain a healthy heart. Teaching children about choices from a young age may prevent chronic disease in the future. ... | Read More

It is important for people with diabetes to appropriately manage their disease. Project Dulce attempts to improve self management by offering health promotion classes to uninsured, underinsured and low income populations. This program educates participants on ways to successfully manage their diabetes in a 12 week class while also offering resources that will assist participants in health behavior changes. ... | Read More

Project Dulce is a health promotion program for people diagnosed with diabetes. The program created targeted health promotion classes for "uninsured, underinsured and low income populations." Patients were taught to self manage their diabetes through a 12 week class taught in community. ... | Read More

Take action to improve and maintain your familys health by accessing customized prevention information and tips for each member of your family. myfamily from healthfinder.gov lets you manage your family's health priorities, create personal health alerts, keep track of past medical check-ups and vaccinations. ... | Read More

There are a number of drugs that are proven to improve heart health for patients who are hospitalized for heart disease, such as aspirin, statins, and beta-blockers. Intermountain Healthcare in Utah implemented a simple program in their 10 hospital system to ensure that all patients who were hospitalized for heart disease would be prescribed the right preventive medications at the time of discharge from the hospital. The program involved a change to the hospital discharge form to remind doctors about preventive drugs. One year after the quality improvement program was launched, they found that the rate of prescribing appropriate medications was greater than 90%, and the risk of death or readmission to the hospital within 30 days decreased. ... | Read More

Dare to CARE, an organization started by Annapolis-area vascular surgeons, seek to educate the public about vascular disease and provide free screening to those who may be at risk. These surgeons provide free public lectures on the potential complications of cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and aneurysm, and also provide free ultrasound testing for anyone at risk. Through their website, they provide a great educational resource for patients with an emphasis on the lesser known complications of cardiovascular disease and the importance of early detection and treatment for vascular disease. The Dare to CARE program is also a great example of physicians engaging with their community to raise awareness about a public health problem. ... | Read More

Dare to CARE, an organization started by Annapolis-area vascular surgeons, seek to educate the public about vascular disease and provide free screening to those who may be at risk. These surgeons provide free public lectures on the potential complications of cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and aneurysm, and also provide free ultrasound testing for anyone at risk. Through their website, they provide a great educational resource for patients with an emphasis on the lesser known complications of cardiovascular disease and the importance of early detection and treatment for vascular disease. The Dare to CARE program is also a great example of physicians engaging with their community to raise awareness about a public health problem. ... | Read More

Marshfield Clinic, a group of more than 40 medical practices in Wisconsin, implemented a targeted strategy using electronic medical records and chronic disease management programs together to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic diseases in their practice. The electronic medical record system automatically prompts physicians with chart reminders for recommended care for patients with specific diseases and flags patient charts where records indicate that patients are not meeting specified goals for treatment, such as goal blood pressure or cholesterol levels. In addition, the Marshfield Clinic implemented a centralized nurse line and telephonic health programs to help manage chronic disease. The nurse phone line is open to all clinic patients 24/7 to allow them to ask questions and avoid unnecessary emergency room or office visits. The nurses staffing the phone line can access patients' records, doctors' standing orders, treatment guidelines, and educational materials to give patients individualized recommendations. The telephonic health program is designed for patients with chronic disease, such as high cholesterol, heart failure and diabetes, who are not meeting treatment goals. Telephonic programs help patients manage their illness by providing disease education, information about diet and medications, and may include daily check-ins with the patient. Certain responses may automatically trigger a call from an on-call nurse or an appointment for follow-up. ... | Read More

The American Geriatrics Society provides tips for older Americans living with multiple chronic conditions. ... | Read More