ARLINGTON, Va. — NACDS has announced that it will serve as a founding member of the National Hypertension Control Roundtable, which seeks marked health improvements by 2025.

Steven Anderson

The National Hypertension Control Roundtable, launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, will operate as a vibrant public, private, non-profit partnership. By 2025, it seeks to improve national hypertension control rates from 50%  to 80% and to reduce disparities in hypertension control.

“NACDS appreciates the leadership and the continued partnership that are evident in the creation of the National Hypertension Control Roundtable,” said NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson.

“As is the case across diverse chronic health conditions, pharmacies serve as accessible and trusted sources of care for those seeking to prevent and control hypertension. With a concerted effort to leverage opportunities and to overcome barriers to pharmacy patient care, pharmacies can help even more. Pharmacy’s participation in the National Hypertension Control Roundtable is a natural fit and a continuation of our engagement in this space. NACDS looks forward to serving as a dedicated partner.”

The creation of the National Hypertension Control Roundtable comes on the heels of the Community Preventive Services Task Force’s (CPSTF’s) April 2019 recommendation for tailored pharmacy-based adherence interventions for cardiovascular disease prevention. CPSTF’s recommendation is based on evidence from a rigorous systematic review of 48 studies that showed tailored interventions delivered by pharmacists increase the number of patients who report taking medications for cardiovascular disease prevention as prescribed.

Key facts behind the creation of this initiative, as provided by CDC, include:

• Hypertension, or high blood pressure, currently affects one-in-three U.S. adults, and hypertension rates are increasing among young adults.

• Hypertension currently contributes to one-in-seven cardiovascular-related deaths.

• Beyond the human costs for patients and loved ones, the financial impact associated with hypertension in the U.S. is $51 billion annually, including $47.5 billion in medical procedures.

• The last decade has yielded little to no improvement over the past decade.

The Roundtable seeks to actively spotlight the need for improved hypertension control by:

• Sharing evidence-based interventions amongst Roundtable members;

• Implementing evidence-based interventions in Roundtable organizations;

• Engaging and recruiting industry colleagues in the effort to control hypertension rates;

• Supporting the promotion of publications – including articles and case studies – and Roundtable members’ successful hypertension control activities;

• Highlighting hypertension control activities external to the Roundtable;

• Promoting prioritization of hypertension control in primary care; and

• Member and patient engagement.

The Roundtable anticipates sponsoring its first national meeting in the Fall of 2020, and more information is available on its website.