Sectors and Strategies

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension

Collage of people in different healthcare settings.

Millions of people who have high blood pressure do not have it under control.

Control is possible, but little progress has been made in the past 10 years. Some population groups also have higher rates of disease and death associated with high blood pressure, which creates health disparities across communities, and programs and interventions likely require tailoring to increase effectiveness.

We know that high blood pressure can be controlled to reduce health risks.

Many different groups will need to come together to support the use of proven strategies in every community and for every population group.

High blood pressure control must be a national priority.

Individuals

A man holding his two children.

How You Can Help

If you have high blood pressure, take action to control it and improve your health.

Changing your lifestyle can be hard. You will need support from your family, friends, and other members of your community.

You can also get help from a health care team that may include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and other types of health care professionals.

Your health care team can help you make lifestyle or medication changes that can help you reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Federal Government

A female federal government worker.

How You Can Help

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans.

The agency provides effective health and human services and fosters advances in medicine, public health, and social services.

As a federal agency, you can support HHS’s efforts to improve high blood pressure control in the United States.

You can work with partners across multiple sectors, including public health, health care, business, government, and academia.

You can also support and help expand actions like the ones recommended here.

State and Local Governments

A group of male and female state government officials.

How You Can Help

As a state or local government agency or representative, you can play an important role in protecting and improving the health of your residents.

You can support efforts to improve high blood pressure control across the country by working with multiple sectors.

You can work with clinical and public health partners to focus on population groups with the greatest need.

You can also help build diverse public and private partnerships to coordinate the efforts of multiple groups, prevent duplication of efforts, and use resources efficiently.

Public Health Professionals

A female public health professional.

How You Can Help

As a public health professional, you and the organizations you work for are in a unique position to help improve high blood pressure control.

You can help bring together partners from multiple sectors to address this public health problem at federal, state, and local levels.

You can also share data to show what works and promote the use of effective strategies.

Health Care Professionals

A male health care professional.

How You Can Help

As a health care professional, you see many patients with high blood pressure who do not have this condition under control.

You can help improve high blood pressure control in the United States by identifying populations at highest risk and highlighting needed resources.

You can also share your firsthand knowledge about the problems associated with uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Commit to following the most current clinical guidelines for high blood pressure control to ensure that your care is cost-effective, evidence based, and focused on achieving control across all populations.

Professional Associations and Societies

A female professional.

How You Can Help

Members of public health and health care professional associations and societies can help improve blood pressure control by changing policies, systems, and environments that make it hard for people to control their high blood pressure.

As a professional association or society, you can play a key role in calling attention to the problems associated with uncontrolled high blood pressure, including negative health outcomes and disparities in certain populations.

You can also share information, provide training, and mobilize your members to support policy changes.

Health Care Practices, Health Centers, and Health Systems

A male health professional.

How You Can Help

To help improve high blood pressure control in the United States, health care practices, health centers, and health systems can deliver patient care services in ways that have been proven to work.

You can use multidisciplinary care teams to ensure comprehensive care and use protocols to standardize patient care.

You can also use high-quality data to track and encourage high performance among your health care professionals.

Health Plans and Managed Care Organizations

Two female health plan employees.

How You Can Help

For insurance companies, there are short-term costs associated with treatments and interventions designed to improve high blood pressure control among their beneficiaries.

Examples of treatments and interventions include antihypertensive medications, home blood pressure monitors, and approved lifestyle programs.

Treatments and interventions reduce the risk and costs associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes over time.

The costs associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes include hospitalization for a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, as well as care services related to cardiac rehabilitation or management of end-stage kidney disease.

Employers and Health Plan Purchasers

A female business owner.

How You Can Help

For employers and individuals who purchase health plans, there are short-term costs associated with treatments and interventions designed to improve high blood pressure control.

Examples of treatment and interventions include antihypertensive medications, home blood pressure monitors, and approved lifestyle programs.

These treatments and interventions reduce the risk and costs associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes over time.

The costs associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes include hospitalization for a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, as well as care services related to cardiac rehabilitation or management of end-stage kidney disease.

Costs also include costs associated with employees who are less productive or miss work because of illness.

Academic Institutions and Researchers

A female academic professional.

How You Can Help

Your university or school helps to train scientific and medical researchers who can expand our knowledge of what works to control high blood pressure.

More high blood pressure control research is needed to understand what interventions are most effective for a variety of populations and to identify the best way to implement them.

Training programs in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy regularly integrate blood pressure assessment and related management into their curricula. However, reinforcement of appropriate and effective activities is useful.

Expanded training using a variety of research methods is likely needed, including quality improvement and population health management techniques.

Community Organizations, Public–Private Partnerships, and Foundations

Two female community organization members.

How You Can Help

A variety of partners, including health advocacy, minority-serving, and faith-based organizations, are needed to help make high blood pressure control a national priority.

As a member of these organizations and partnerships, you can support funding at national, state, and local levels for policies and programs that have been proven to work.

You can also help ensure that scientific findings and resources are translated into actions that best serve your communities.

Partner Toolkit

Share these resources with your audiences and on your social media pages.

Call to Action

Download and share The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension.

Disclaimer

Website addresses of nonfederal organizations are provided solely as a service to our readers. Provision of an address does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the federal government, and none should be inferred.