Pilot Project Goal: Apply Individualized Blood Pressure Management in a Community Health Center to Improve Hypertension Management
The Chait-Choi team’s project, titled Individualized Blood Pressure Management in the Community, focused on the prevalence of hypertension in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the surrounding area. Working at the Baystate High Street Health Center with local clinician Dr. Michael Germain and Baystate Health’s Dr. Paul Pirraglia, the team collected data from the predominantly underrepresented population that the Baystate Health Center serves. The team pointed out that "Black Americans and Hispanic Americans have significantly lower rates of BP [blood pressure] control than White Americans; these disparities are likely due to systemic racial discrimination, socioeconomic inequity, and unequal access to healthcare services." By introducing innovative, individualized blood pressure (BP) management and making it available where patients typically seek care, this team's work helps to addresses transportation as a social determinant of health. It also has a strong focus on health equity.
