Tackling Hypertension Disparities Through Culturally Conscious Care

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In addition, Black Americans suffer from the effects of uncontrolled hypertension more than the general population.

For many years and today, Black patients experience dire consequences of hypertension:

• More than half of Black Americans have high blood pressure.
• Black Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure at a younger age.
• Black Americans have significantly higher risks of experiencing and dying from stroke, CV disease and end-stage renal disease.

ABC launched the Hypertension Certification Program (HCP) in early 2024
Addressing hypertension disparities is essential to strengthening Black America’s overall cardiovascular health. In partnership with Medtronic, The HCP aims to do just that.

The ABC will sponsor 50 qualified clinicians to receive American Hypertension Specialist Certification. Our program places special emphasis on:

• Improving care management for Black populations living with, or who are at risk for, hypertension.
• Improving communication, trust and adherence to medical advice.

Certification examinations will be held in August and November 2024. Selected participants will receive exam preparation prior to their exam date.

Eligibility Criteria
Health care workers in the field of cardiology with the below credentials are eligible to apply for the program.

• Nurse Practitioners/Advanced Practice Nurses
• Physician Assistants
• Pharm Ds Pharmacists
• Physicians

The program has a limited number of spaces available in early 2025. These spaces will be filled through a geographic distribution process in the following regions of the U.S.:

• Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.

• Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

• Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.
• Southwest: Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Thank you for your interest! We’ve currently reached our maximum number of applications and are no longer accepting submissions. Please check back for updates on future opportunities.

Deadline to enroll: Friday, January 10, 2025