Cocoa Pods

CDC 's Executive Director, Dr Larry Sperling for the Million Heart project Timestamps: (00:40) Welcome Dr. Larry Sperling (02:15) Pregnancy related heart problems (03:22) The need for Million Hearts (04:50) More about Dr. Sperling (05:40) Strategies to improve access to care (11:10) Dr. Sperling’s training (12:22) Addressing maternal morbidity CDC’s executive director, Dr. Larry Sperling, joins Dr. Bola Sogade for this episode of Cocoa Pods. Dr. Sperling is a world-renowned cardiologist with more than 20 years of experience. He gives listeners insight into the previously mentioned Million Hearts initiative. Why is there a need for the Million Hearts initiative? This national initiative extends cardiovascular disease prevention into the community. It is co-led by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Through several hundred partners, Million Hearts has proven strategies to prevent 1 million strokes and cardiac events in five years. 700 women die in a year from pregnancy-related heart problems. Some of these deaths are due to a lack of access to high-quality maternal health services in rural communities. The Million Hearts project has actionable steps to improve access to care for women and people in rural areas. Dr. Sogade and Dr. Sperling discuss some of these actionable steps. One of these strategies includes the use of self monitoring blood pressure. Not only is it important for individuals to be aware of their blood pressure, but it also allows doctors to work collaboratively with the patient. Dr. Larry Sperling explains the importance of knowing the risks and being aware of hypertensive disorders. Focusing on prevention is a key step to improving cardiovascular health for all! #cardiovasculardisease #cardiovascularhealth #cdc #cms #millionhearts #heartproblems #cardiovascular #hypertension