The American Heart Association presents Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol™ award for commitment in prioritizing cholesterol management  

Healthy Connections, Inc., has received the American Heart Association’s Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol™ Gold 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, estimated to cause nearly 2.6 million deaths annually.

To help people better understand their risk and learn to manage their cholesterol, the Association launched its Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol. initiative in 2017. Since then, more than 340 health centers and systems have registered to participate.

“Nearly two-thirds of people who have high cholesterol don’t think they’re at high risk for a heart attack or stroke. For the good of our patients, we want to lower those numbers,” said Healthy Connections CEO Tony Calandro. “This is an important part of our mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

Healthy Connections clinics recognized with the Gold Award include:

• 136 Health Park Drive, Mena
• 139 School Lane, Mena (Ouachita River Health Center, Acorn School)

Healthy Connections clinics also participating in the program include:

• 3034 A Pine Street, Arkadelphia
• 900 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Malvern
• 534 Luzerne Street, Mount Ida (Montgomery County Community Clinic)
• 1201 Mena Street, Mena
• 102 Chippewa Court, Hot Springs
• 1357 West Collin Raye Drive, De Queen

To help practices 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 improve cholesterol control rates. To facilitate easy and seamless adoption of the program, the Association will provide access to trained support specialists within their community who can help identify specific program components to incorporate into clinical practice.

“We have a large body of evidence supporting the benefits and safety of cholesterol lowering treatment. Yet, the challenge is that high cholesterol remains underdiagnosed and therefore undertreated. This program helps bring patients and healthcare providers together to recognize the issue, bring cholesterol under control and help patients maintain control” said Alice K. Jacobs, M.D., Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs at Boston University Medical Center and past president of the AHA. “We applaud the providers who are already working to address cholesterol lowering, and we will continue to urge more physician practices, health systems and patients to join this initiative to prioritize cholesterol control and ultimately improve health outcomes nationwide.”

Healthy Connections, Inc., was founded in 1998 as a home visiting program and now operates nine clinics throughout Southwest Arkansas. Depending on location, services include primary and preventative medical care, general dentistry, pediatrics, behavioral health, physical therapy and cardiology. Learn more at www.healthy-connections.org.

Learn more at Check.Change.Control.Cholesterol.