The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has selected University of Florida Health to lead a program that could reduce the health disparity gap in some Jacksonville communities by connecting patients with community pharmacists for help managing high blood pressure.
The Hypertension Pharmacists' Program is scheduled to debut this summer, expanding access to blood pressure care for the city's medically underserved, predominantly Black communities.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects nearly half of American adults, and the program aims to better control the disease by embedding clinical pharmacists within a patient's primary care team.
The effort, facilitated by the UF Health Jacksonville Office of Community Engagement, is a collaboration among the UF Health Total Care Clinic - Jacksonville, the UF College of Pharmacy and Panama Pharmacy, and it will allow patients to see a specially trained pharmacist at a community pharmacy and seek individualized care and education.
"Hypertension repeatedly shows up in the triannual Community Health Needs Assessment as a significant health factor and concern in our community. Being able to provide health resources through a collaborative effort such as this is a fantastic opportunity for our patients and for the continuum of care," says Ann-Marie Knight, M.H.A., FACHE, vice president of community engagement for UF Health Jacksonville.
