Empowering
Individuals to Improve Their Hypertension Control Through Peer Support
Background: High blood pressure is a leading cause
of death and disability, especially among older men. It contributes to strokes,
heart attacks, and heart failure. The fight against high blood pressure should
include the best tools possible. Advances in medication and medical management
are essential in combating hypertension “on the ground.” But oftentimes,
medication alone is not enough to bring a veteran’s blood pressure into a
healthy range. Research suggests that active, knowledgeable patients and the
support of friends and family are important parts of the picture. Leaders from
the VA healthcare system, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the VFW got
together to design a way to improve the health of veterans. The Healthier
Wisconsin Partnership Program liked the idea so much they decided to give money
to support it.
The Project: “Empowering Individuals to Improve
Their Hypertension Control Though Peer Support” is a project based on the idea
that small groups of veterans working together to tackle health problems can
achieve better results than if they work alone. Posts that join the project
should be interested in good health and have a group of members (or contacts of
members) who have, or are at risk for, high blood pressure. Two members from
each group will serve as leaders. These leaders will attend training sessions
with the project staff*. As part of the training they will talk about steps
their groups can take to improve the health of their members. Once the project
begins, leaders will have ongoing contact with each other and staff members so
they can share their stories and answer questions.
Participation: Post members who join the project will
participate in monthly meetings focused on health matters. Most posts will
schedule these meetings either before or after their regular monthly meetings.
The volunteer leaders who trained with the project staff will conduct these
meetings. In order to find out if the project is really helping, we will need
to check participants’ blood pressure and administer a few short questionnaires
at the beginning of the project, and again after 6 months and 18 months. This
is the research part of the project, and is entirely voluntary. Some
participants may decide to be in the group sessions, but not the research.
Benefits: We believe that participants will
become more active in their own health, learn from and be inspired by their
comrades, and get more out of visits to their doctors. This will help them stay
in better health. We also expect that the groups will want to continue after
the project has ended. During the time that the project is funded by Healthier
Wisconsin, posts that hold monthly sessions will receive money to help cover
the costs for refreshments and the use of their facilities. Group members who
provide information for the research part of the project will be paid a small
“Thank You” gift. We will also pay group leaders to go through the training we
have planned.
Why the VFW?: We approached the VFW to be the lead
representative of the veteran community for several reasons. First, like many
veterans organizations, the VFW has a history of caring about veterans and
their families, regardless of when and where they served. Second, because of
the shared war zone experience, VFW members seemed the most likely to be able
to move from being “comrades in arms” to “comrades in health.” Finally, as we
planned the project, it was clear that the VFW, the Medical College of Wisconsin,
the VA healthcare system, and the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program all
share an interest in promoting good health for veterans, and could accomplish a
lot by working together.
*Project
Staff:
Jeff Whittle, MD has been working with veterans since he
became a doctor in 1984. As a primary care physician at the VA, he sees many
patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and high
cholesterol. He is particularly concerned about the number of patients he sees
who have uncontrolled high blood pressure. Since most doctors agree that the
support of friends and family can help persons to have good blood pressure, he
approached the VFW for their help. This project is the result.
Jeff Morzinski, PhD is the Director of the Professional
Development Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is an expert on
teaching people how to help others with their health. In addition to training
doctors, he has also worked with community members who are interested in health
improvement. In this project his most important role will be to make sure that
group leaders are prepared to lead the health-focused group sessions with their
fellow VFW members.
Kristyn Ertl, BA is a full-time research associate for
the Medical College of Wisconsin. She possesses a degree in English from
UW-Madison, and will be working as the administrative coordinator for this
project. Her primary role will be to facilitate reliable communication among
study personnel, community partners, and the funding agent.
Contact Information:
|
Jeff Whittle,
MD, Physician
Leader Clement J.
Zablocki VA |
Kristyn Ertl,
BA Clement J.
Zablocki VA |
|
Jeff
Morzinski, PhD Educational
Specialist |
Steve Lawrence VFW Project
Partner VFW Department
of |
