NMC Alliance Newsletter

Volume 03 Number 03 | December 2019

A Year in Review

As we reflect back on this past year, we are filled with gratitude and pride for all that we have been able to accomplish in the NMC Alliance's third year. A very sincere thank you to our partners and sponsors for making it all possible.

A review of 2019...

Supporting our Patients

We had the opportunity to speak with and learn more about minority patients' experiences managing their heart health. We visited beautiful Jackson, MS and New London, CT to host focus groups for our Master Class on Dyslipidemia project. We also had the opportunity to attend a number of events and obtain the support of many partners in distributing the Minority Cardiovascular Patient Experience Survey. Thank you to all who supported these important efforts!

3rd Annual Steering Committee Meeting

The National Minority Cardiovascular Alliance hosted our annual in-person Steering Committee Meeting on Friday, October 4th. We welcomed newest Steering Committee members Veronica Vital, PhD, and Setu Vora, MD (pictured right) as well as Ryan Gough.

The annual Steering Committee meeting is an opportunity to think about and collaborate on key areas in the minority cardiovascular health space. Our annual priorities are discussed, and in 2020 we will be focusing on increasing access to care, subgroup data, and diversity in clinical trials.

Second Annual Town Hall

Also in October was the NMC Alliance second annual Town Hall, our annual public-facing event. The focus of this year's event was: addressing the influence of genetics, culture and social determinants of health on minority cardiovascular health and disease.

Our wide array of speakers included individuals on the front lines of healthcare, researching and developing innovative solutions to address the needs of communities. Speakers were comprised of patients, clinicians, researchers, advocates, and government. Keep an eye on our Media page for videos from the day - this is coming soon.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Our 2020 annual Town Hall will be

Thursday, October 22nd in Washington, DC.

New Initiative: Cardio Obstetrics

As an outcome of our Steering Committee meeting, the Alliance is pleased to announce our newest initiative addressing Cardio Obstetrics. With over 25% of maternal mortality rates in the United States attributed to cardiovascular disease, the Alliance has identified Cardio Obstetrics as a key strategy in achieving minority cardiovascular health equity. We hope to further research efforts, identify programming that has helped improve cardiovascular health for pregnant women, and increase overall awareness of Cardio Obstetrics.

To gain more insight about the issues and existing work in this space, the NMC Alliance hosted a Twitter Chat in November. To view this chat, or any of our other Twitter Chats, please visit our Wakelet page.

Have you seen our newest vignette?

Featuring NMC Alliance co-chair Fatima Rodriguez, MD, this vignette dives in to the National Minority Cardiovascular Alliance priorities and ongoing activities. We hope you will learn a bit more about our mission, and use this vignette as an opportunity to share about the NMC Alliance among your network.

Are we connected on social media?

Stay Tuned!

As we look towards 2020, we are committed to increasing collaboration with our advocacy, research, non-profit, government, and clinician partners. Our strategy is to strengthen our partners and ourselves through shared purpose, increased capacity, and expanded resources. As such, our door is always open to discuss ideas, issues, and suggestions.

A number of exciting NMC Alliance projects will be coming online in 2020:

eCARDIO (electronic Clearinghouse of Articles, Databases, Insights, and Outcomes) Hub.

This online hub will be your source of information related to minority cardiovascular health. With the ability to search for information and share about your organization's work, the hub will be the online meeting place to advance minority cardiovascular health.

Master Class on Dyslipidemia

The end of January will bring the debut of our Master Class on Dyslipidemia. This online video will provide an overview of dyslipidemia in minority populations and offer best practices on how strengthening minority patient and clinician communication on the topic can result in overall better cardiovascular health.

Cardiovascular Patient Experience Survey

This exploratory survey seeks to better understand the challenges faced by minority patients in managing their heart health. 2019 concluded our survey collection efforts, and we have now moved in to the analysis phase. Thank you to all of our partners who supported the development and dissemination efforts. We look forward to sharing the results with you early next year.