EMPHNET has been awarded a highly competitive, two-year grant to address the burden of high blood pressure in Jordan. EMPHNET will launch and evaluate a blood pressure control program in 20 health care centers in Jordan, where nearly 1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure. The program will build on EMPHNET’s current primary health system-strengthening work in collaboration with UNICEF and will include adaptation of a treatment protocol for high blood pressure, training service providers in best practices in blood pressure management from the World Health Organization (WHO), and use of a patient treatment card to monitor progress.

The grant program part of the LINKS platform that connects people working to improve cardiovascular health around the world, is funded by Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, and managed by Resolve to Save Lives, along with the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the CDC Foundation.
The program will be implemented in 20 health care centers that deliver primary health care services. Within this program, EMPHNET will adapt, implement, and evaluate WHO’s HEARTS technical package to improve the management and control of hypertension in two governorates with high population densities located in the North of Jordan.

“The burden of cardiovascular disease in Jordan is huge. About 36% of deaths in Jordan are due to cardiovascular diseases, and 34% of those are among people under the age of 60,” said Dr. Yousef S Khader of EMPHNET. “Receiving the LINKS one-time grant will help the health system in Jordan implement best practices from the World Health Organization to control blood pressure. This project will also provide evidence for policy makers, so that we can work to scale-up the intervention to the whole primary health care system.”

High blood pressure causes heart attack and stroke and is the leading cause of death worldwide. A recent analysis concluded that increasing global control of high blood pressure could save almost 40 million lives in 25 years.

“Cardiovascular disease kills more people each year than all infectious diseases combined, but it remains neglected by many health systems and the global health community,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. “LINKS is connecting champions on the front lines of work in low- and middle-income countries and sharing lessons and resources to accelerate progress.”

This second round of grant funding will support government and civil society organizations working in 18 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Haiti, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Funded programs include a patient-centered hypertension screening and treatment program in Pakistan, monitoring South Africa’s sodium reduction laws, and advocacy for effective regulation of trans fat in Kenya.

“The LINKS grant program will help to identify local solutions to hypertension control and advance control of non-communicable diseases through primary health care,” said Dr. Cherian Varghese, Coordinator of Management of Non-communicable Diseases at WHO. “The program will also build capacity in health systems, which is critical to advance universal health coverage.”

“To address cardiovascular disease, the CDC Foundation is pleased to work with partners by providing support to countries around the world seeking technical assistance through the LINKS online community and platform,” said Dr. Judy Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “Working together to address the health challenge of cardiovascular disease ensures that knowledge, best practices and lessons learned are shared and utilized across the globe.”

First round grants totaling USD 1.25 million were awarded in March 2019 to LINKS members in 11 countries. The grants are intended to help health systems and non-governmental organizations pilot approaches that will lead to scalable national programs which can save both lives and money, including by reducing health care costs associated with avoidable heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. LINKS membership is free and members are eligible to apply for one-time grants to improve cardiovascular health in their communities using one of three proven, effective approaches to improving heart health: increasing control of high blood pressure, reducing salt intake or eliminating trans-fat. LINKS also provides members access to technical assistance from cardiovascular health experts from around the world, networking opportunities, useful tools for cardiovascular health, and live webinars.