Project 2: ACHIEVE- HF

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common, costly, and deadly diseases affecting humans. Hypertension is the largest single risk factor for HF, accounting for over half of all new cases. Moreover, Black adults with hypertension have a much greater risk, perhaps 20-fold, of developing HF compared with White adults. The data the investigators collected in Detroit, MI, where the population is predominantly Black, features a mortality rate from heart disease that is nearly twice the national average. Among patients with hypertension and no history of HF, more than 50% already have abnormalities of cardiac function seen on echocardiogram. Notably, high rates of hypertension in the Black community comingle with diabetes and kidney dysfunction, further amplifying HF risk.

Accordingly, early interventions to prevent HF, in particular blood pressure (BP) control, are critical. However, implementation of effective treatments remains suboptimal among Black communities, especially in low-income urban settings. While many factors are involved, mounting evidence shows that adverse social determinants of heath (SDoH) such as poor access to healthcare, food insecurity, and lack of safe places for physical activity are critical barriers to the implementation of recommended therapies. To achieve health equity, improved strategies must be developed to overcome these negative SDoH. To better engage the at-risk community, the team of investigators developed an innovative mobile health unit (MHU) program that uses geospatial health and social vulnerability data to direct health services to communities in highest need, who may not otherwise engage with traditional health care settings.

Project 2 (ACHIEVE HF) of ACHIEVE GREATER (Addressing Cardiometabolic Health Inequities by Early Prevention in the Great Lakes Region) will address multiple domains and levels of impact to reduce the large gaps in care of stage A HF patients in the Black community and prevent progression towards later stages of disease. The project proposes an innovative approach to identify and control hypertension (HTN) at it's earliest stages in undiagnosed Black adults. This study will use a Mobile Health Unit (MHU) platform to implement a multi-level intervention called Pharm-PAL2 to identify and reduce large gaps in care of stage A HF in untreated Black adults. The Pharm-PAL2 intervention will be delivered to the intervention arm participants in two phases: Intervention phase (first 12 months) and Durability Phase (Year 2, an additional 12 months).

The Pharm-PAL2 intervention will link Black adults with 1 of the inclusion factors below to collaborative care delivered by non-physicians, community health workers (CHWs) and Pharmacists via MHUs.

screening systolic blood pressure >= 140 and/or diastolic blood pressure >= 90 mmHg or
screening blood pressure 130-139 mmHg plus >1 additional heart failure risk factor (1. diabetes (HbA1c >=6.5% or 2. CKD stage 3 (i.e. eGFR 30-60 mL/min/m^2)) or
treated (1-2 antihypertensive medications) stage 1 hypertension (systolic BP 130-139 and/or diastolic BP 80-89) with or without additional heart failure risk factors