Union Community Health Center Earns National Recognition for Efforts Aimed at Improving Cholesterol Control
The American Heart Association presents Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ award for commitment in driving millions to better cholesterol management
Bronx, New York — Union Community Health Center has received the American Heart Association’s Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ Gold level award in recognition of their commitment to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke through improved cholesterol management.
High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, but typically has no symptoms. Nearly one in three American adults have high LDL or “bad” cholesterol and need personalized treatment including lifestyle modifications or prescribed medication to manage their levels.
To improve awareness, detection and management of cholesterol across the nation, the American Heart Association launched its Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ initiative in 2017, now nationally supported by Amgen. Since then, more than 1300 health centers and systems have registered to participate.
The Gold award recognizes practices that have fulfilled the participant criteria and that have 70% or more of their adult, at-risk ASCVD patient population appropriately managed with statin therapy.
“UNION’s participation in Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol™ demonstrates our health center’s commitment to quality care. We are proud to be a part of the American Heart Association’s® efforts said Jae Ahn, D.O., Chief Medical Officer at Union Community Health Center. “Our greatest reward is knowing we are decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular disease in our community, saving lives, and improving outcomes.”
To help healthcare providers achieve their goals, the Association provides all participants with a dedicated website featuring a free, evidence-based improvement program that includes tools and resources to help clinicians address, diagnose and manage their patients’ cholesterol. To facilitate easy and seamless adoption of the program, the Association offers access to trained support specialists within their community who can help identify specific program components to incorporate into clinical practice.
“This program helps practices access the latest science and guidelines quickly so they can advise patients and work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan. High cholesterol continues to be one of the major risk factors for heart disease, yet remains undertreated,” said James Langabeer, Ph.D., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association’s Ambulatory Quality Improvement Advisory Group and professor and vice chair of Emergency Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth), McGovern Medical School. “We are so glad to see many dedicated professionals join this initiative to prioritize cholesterol management in their practices and ultimately improve heart health across the nation.”
Learn more at: heart.org/changecholesterol
CONTACT:
Serena Muniz, Public Affairs Manager
T: 718.960.3206
M: 917.402.0683 |
About Union Community Health Center
Union Community Health Center (UNION) is a private, 501(c)(3), Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), an NCQA recognized Level III Medical Home, licensed by New York State under NYS public health law as an Article 28 facility authorizing the provision of care by hospitals and health centers. UNION’s mission is “to provide comprehensive, culturally competent primary and preventive health care services to improve the health status and decrease health disparities of the medically underserved populations in the Bronx, providing services to all regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or the ability to pay.” UNION cares for over 37,000 patients per year generating over 179,000 patient care visits. UNION operates 7 locations, including a mobile health unit, in the Bronx and is a longstanding, community-based health care provider, serving the Bronx uninterrupted in many capacities for over 100 years
