October 3, 2022
HOUMA, LA– Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) has received two gold awards from the American Heart Association for its commitment to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke through cholesterol and blood pressure management. This recognition applies to all CIS clinics in Louisiana and Mississippi.
For the fourth year in a row, CIS has earned Gold recognition for the accuracy of blood pressure management, with more than 70% of the affected adult patients having controlled blood pressure as part of the Target: BP™ initiative. CIS surpasses this target with more than 80 percent of patients having controlled blood pressure, earning the Gold Plus award. However, blood pressure continues to be a national health concern. Out of 116 million U.S. adults living with high blood pressure, the nation’s number one risk factor for heart attack and stroke, less than half have it controlled to target level.
In addition, CIS also received the Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ Gold Award this year for having more than 70% of adult, at-risk atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease patients appropriately managed with statin therapy. About 90 percent of CIS patients in Louisiana have managed cholesterol. High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke, but only half of 94 million adults with elevated cholesterol are appropriately managing their condition.
“At CIS, we recognize the importance of implementing evidence-based medicine guidelines into our practice to control cholesterol and blood pressure and ultimately lower the risk of heart disease and stroke in our patients,” said CIS CEO David Konur.
“High blood pressure and high cholesterol are often called the ‘silent killers’ because patients may not have any symptoms until the damage has already been done,” said Dr. Darrell Solet, CIS cardiologist based in Morgan City. “Patients are encouraged to partner with their physicians for a comprehensive assessment of their cardiovascular risk and to develop a treatment plan tailored for the betterment of their health.”
“Patients and their physicians are partners in managing these potentially harmful but treatable conditions, and we want to help you live a long healthy life,” explained Dr. Tom Plavac, CIS interventional cardiologist in Meridian, MS.
Learn more about the importance of managing these conditions, or schedule an appointment below.
About Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™
The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building longer, healthier lives, created the Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ initiative with national support from Amgen to improve awareness, detection and management of high cholesterol for consumers, patients and health care professionals.
About Target: BPTMTarget: BP is a national collaboration between the American Heart Association and American Medical Association to reduce the number of Americans who experience heart attacks and strokes each year by urging physician practices, health systems and patients to prioritize hypertension control. The initiative supports health care organizations to improve blood pressure control rates through use of evidence-based protocols, tools and resources and recognizes organizations for achieving blood pressure control rates within the populations they serve.
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