Today, Congresswoman Terri Sewell announced that she helped secure federal, research grants for the Baptist Health System, Inc., and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Baptist Health System is one of 39 health care collaborative networks selected to participate in the Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative, a training program that helps physicians adopt a more patient-centered approach to care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded a $2.7 million grant to Baptist Health System for the program.

“I am proud that Baptist Health System was chosen for this grant. Physicians are truly the on front lines, and we need to ensure that they have the tools and resources they need to provide the best care possible. The Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative will assist physicians in transitioning from a volume based model of care to a more patient-centered approach,” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “Ultimately, improving the quality of care will empower patients to make stronger choices for themselves and their families.”

“From our own experience with practice transformation within the Baptist Health System and the Baptist Physician Alliance, we know that meaningful change occurs when face-to-face support is provided in the clinical setting,” said Dr. Anne-Laura Cook, the Medical Director of Population Health Management & Primary Care Innovation at Baptist Health Centers. “We intend for this work to result in better health, better care, and lower costs for the people of Alabama.”

Separately, the University of Alabama at Birmingham will receive a $834,000 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for research related to high blood pressure in low-income, minority and rural communities.

“My father is a stroke survivor, so I have witnessed first-hand the debilitating effects a stroke has on individuals, families and their communities. High blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease and strokes, and the impact of high blood pressure is most keenly felt in minority, low-income and rural communities,” said Rep. Terri Sewell. “I am pleased that the University of Alabama at Birmingham has been selected to receive funding for a study that would help high-risk patients better manage high blood pressure.”

“The Black Belt is in the heart of the Stroke Belt, a region with the highest stroke and heart disease mortality in the United States,” said Dr. Monika Stafford, the Inaugural Endowed Professor of Diabetes Prevention and Control and Assistant Dean of Continuing Medical Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “The ‘Triple Threat’ project seeks to test two different strategies -- peer coaching and practice facilitation -- designed to help African American residents in the Alabama and North Carolina Black Belt with uncontrolled high blood pressure. This is a collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, the Alabama Area Health Education Centers, the Livingston Alabama Health and Wellness Center, and the West Central Alabama Health Improvement League.”

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