Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. receives national recognition for efforts to improve care for patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. (SeMRHI) has received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes℠ Participant Award for outpatient practices implementing quality improvement measures addressing the relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Every 80 seconds, an adult with diabetes in the U.S. is hospitalized for heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. To earn the Target: Type 2 Diabetes℠ award, organizations must commit to improving the quality of care for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors by adopting clinical change and using evidence-based strategies and tools.

“Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. (SeMRHI) is dedicated to providing specialized care for patients with type 2 diabetes in managing their cardiovascular risk factors,” said Dr. Geroldean Dyse. “We are pleased to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our execution of quality care through Target: Type 2 Diabetes. The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

The Participant award recognizes practices that have completed data submission, including clinical measure entry, and committed to improving the quality of care for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.

“More than 30 million Americans live with diabetes and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for people living with type 2 diabetes,” said Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FAHA, volunteer expert from the American Heart Association and chief of the UCLA Division of Cardiology, director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, and co-director of UCLA’s Preventive Cardiology Program.  “Organizations that participate in programs like this help raise awareness of the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease and can improve the patient outcomes. We are pleased to recognize Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. (SeMRHI) for their commitment to quality care.”

Special thanks to BancorpSouth for your generous donation to Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. (SeMRHI). We are truly appreciative. With your donation, we are able to expand our homeless voucher program by adding additional health services.

Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. earns national recognition for efforts to reduce the number of patients with uncontrolled blood pressure!

The American Heart Association and American Medical Association celebrate Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. for their commitment to prioritizing blood pressure control.

 Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. has been recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Medical Association (AMA) for their commitment to helping improve blood pressure (BP) control rates among the patient populations they serve, earning Silver Level Recognition as part of the 2021 Target: BP™ Recognition Program.

• The Silver Award recognizes practices that have demonstrated a commitment to improving blood pressure control through measurement accuracy.

Hypertension (high BP) is a leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and preventable death in the U.S. In addition, there are 121.5 million U.S. adults living with high BP and less than half of those people have their BP under control[1] – making both diagnosing and effectively managing hypertension critical. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that heart disease and stroke continue to kill more people in the U.S. than other causes.

“High blood pressure is a leading risk factor of heart disease and stroke that can often be prevented or managed if diagnosed and treated properly,” said Dr. Geroldean Dyse. “Addressing blood pressure management is key for better cardiovascular health – and critical today since heart disease and strokes continue to be a leading cause of death for Americans.”

Target: BP is a national collaboration between the AHA and the AMA aimed at reducing the number of Americans who suffer from heart attacks and strokes each year by urging physician practices, health systems, and patients to prioritize BP control. The initiative aims to help health care organizations improve blood pressure control rates through the use of AMA MAP BP™ evidence-based protocols and recognizes Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Inc. as being committed to improving blood pressure control.

The Target: BP Recognition Program celebrates physician practices and health systems, who treat patients with hypertension, for achieving BP control rates at or above 70 percent within the populations they serve. These achievements will ultimately lead to a reduction in the number of Americans who suffer heart attacks and strokes.

Learn more at TargetBP.org.