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Heart Disease: Wisconsin Heart Health Alliance

Heart disease is the leading cause of death throughout Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Heart Health Alliance is committed to equal, just opportunities for everyone to be healthy. The reality is that some people have worse heart health outcomes than others because of unfair and unjust environmental, economic, and social factors beyond their control. People who live on lower incomes, people who live in rural areas, and people of color face significantly higher heart health risks in Wisconsin. These disparities worsened with the impact of COVID-19.

Now, more than ever, Wisconsin organizations need to team up on our efforts to fight heart disease. Let’s unite and commit to an improved focus on:

  • Heart disease prevention.
  • Disease management.
  • Health equity.
Multiple hands creating a heart shape

Who we are and what we do

The Wisconsin Heart Health Alliance is a coalition of groups who share a commitment to improve heart health in Wisconsin. The group includes:

  • Professional organizations.
  • Health care organizations.
  • Community agencies.
  • Public health representatives.

We work together to improve prevention, screening, management, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and co-morbid chronic conditions. Our group generally meets virtually twice a year on various topics.

The Wisconsin Heart Health Alliance works to promote:

  • Best practices.
  • Collaborative activities.
  • Organizational and professional relationships.
  • Ideas that help improve the heart health of all Wisconsin residents.

The Alliance also commits to health equity. This is the highest guiding principle for our work. We recognize that best practices haven’t truly been achieved until we remove all disparities of care in underserved communities.

View recordings from past Alliance meetings

We invite you to re-center your heart health efforts with our Heart Health Equity Learning Series. The series was a joint effort among the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), the Wisconsin Community Health Empowerment Fund, Inc., and collaborating members of the Wisconsin Heart Health Alliance.

View the series recordings to hear about best practices and stories of success from heart health experts. We hope you feel promise for Wisconsin’s future. Join us in reaffirming a commitment to heart health equity!

2023 Heart Health Equity Learning Series

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services Chronic Disease Prevention Program and the Wisconsin Community Health Empowerment Fund invite you to join in the second offering of our Heart Health Equity Learning Series.

In the two sessions, local and national evidence-based improvement tools will be shared, as well as implementation and success examples. Join us to learn how you can help all Wisconsinites live heart healthy.

Session 1: Tuesday, March 7, Noon-1 p.m.

"Prevention is Everyone’s Business: A Heart Health Equity Lens"

Preventative Cardiovascular Nurses Association

Joanna Dagenais, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, Director of Clinical Education

This session shares best practices from PCNA’s work toward diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as tools and resources for all health care providers looking to address health inequities.

Session 2: Wednesday, March 15, Noon-1 p.m.

"Tackling Hypertension Control from Multiple Angles"

Million Hearts®

Kinetra Joseph, MMC, Campaign Director, Alliance for Million Hearts®

Taylor Streeter, MPH, Health Scientist, ASRT Inc., Million Hearts®

This session will feature best practices, resources, and success stories on Million Hearts hypertension control and health equity strategies including:

  • “Live to the Beat” and “Start Small. Live Big.” Campaigns
  • Finding People with Undiagnosed Hypertension (“Hiding in Plain Sight”)
  • Self-measured blood pressure monitoring
  • Medication adherence

2022 Heart Health Equity Learning Series

Session 1—“Heart Failure in Black Americans: Differences and Disparities”

By Dr. Alanna Morris, MD, MSc, FHFSA, FACC, FAHA, Emory University

Session 2—“Hypertension in the Time of Telemedicine: Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring”

By Sonia Ayala, MA, LCSW, Esperanza Health

Session 3—“Improving Hypertension Control in the Stroke Belt”

By Dr. Ed Behling, medical director; and Tammie Garris, quality improvement director for Hope Health Centers of Florence, SC

Session 4—“Working Together to Improve Heart Health Equity Across Wisconsin”

By Rebecca Thompson, Wisconsin Community Health Empowerment Fund president and CEO; Dr. Michelle Robinson, DHS Office of Health Equity director; Jonette Arms, DHS Division of Public Health assistant administrator; Margarita Northrop, DHS Healthy Wisconsin coordinator; and Anne Gargano Ahmed, DHS Heart Health coordinator

We invite you, as an individual, or your organization to join us! Contact us if you’re interested in sharing your experience, training, advocacy, energy, and resources to improve heart health and transform health care. Email DHSChronicDiseasePrevention@dhs.wisconsin.gov to get details about future meetings.

Last revised March 22, 2023