4700. Health Equity Hub Opening Showcase: ACC Health Equity Programs in the Community

Get ready to kick off the Health Equity Hub at ACC.26 with an electrifying opening session that showcases outstanding leadership, celebrates remarkable achievements, and sparks inspiration for what's next! Since the integration of health equity into the American College of Cardiology's 2024 – 2028 Strategic Plan, the College has implemented community-based initiatives and programs. These programs include the Community Demonstration Projects (CDP), a pilot program through the Internal Medicine (IM) Cardiology Program, the Thad and Gerry Waites Rural Cardiovascular Research Fellowship, and the Community Health events held in conjunction with ACC's Annual Scientific Sessions. During this session, audience members will learn about the design, implementation, and outcomes of each program and how they align with the strategic goals and priorities of the College. During the session, key leaders in the College's health equity work will be recognized for their contributions.

Speakers:

Paul Douglass, MD, MACC (Moderator)

Melvin R. Echols, MD, MSCR, FACC

Thad Waites, MD, MACC

Pliceliany Perez-Kersey, MD

Akwasi Aduboffour, MD

Alexandra Millhuff, DO

Alaukika Agarwal, MD

Nausheen Akhter, MD, FACC

Christina Cantey, DNP, FNP-C, AACC, CCK

4701. Evidence to Action: The Science and Business Case of Health Equity

Despite continued innovation, persistent inequities exist in cardiovascular outcomes, and these inequities undermine quality metrics, outcomes, and value-based care. This session will build the case of why health equity is a clinical and business imperative through discussions of the scientific evidence of cardiovascular outcomes and care delivery and the economic burden of inequities. Attendees will also learn about how to embed equity into clinical pathways and quality improvement and community-aligned care models into a large integrated health system. Speakers will highlight real-world health equity programs driven by community engagement and population health approaches with measurable outcomes on cardiovascular health. The session will also address the role of clinical leaders and professional societies. Participants will be equipped with immediate, actionable steps they can implement when they return to their practice.

Speakers:

Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, MACC

V. Antoine Keller, MD, FACC

Tochi Okwueze, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, CCK, FACC

Phillip Levy, MD

4702. From Insight to Impact: Addressing Cardiovascular Burden and Equity Through the Global Burden of CVD and JACC Stats

This session brings together two high-impact JACC data initiatives — the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease study and JACC Stats — to examine disparities in cardiovascular burden, outcomes, and equity across populations. Faculty will present the latest Global Burden of CVD findings, discuss their clinical and policy implications, and highlight how JACC Stats complements these insights with U.S.-focused data on disease burden, mortality, and quality of care. The session will also include a brief overview of the updated Global Burden of CVD interactive tool, illustrating how data-driven insights can be applied to research, practice, and advocacy.

 Speakers:

George A. Mensah, MD, FACC

Rishi K. Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil

Erica S. Spatz, MD, MHS, FACC

Taryn Myers, PMP

4703. The Health Equity Toolkit: Data and Resources to Improve Patient Outcomes

Operationalizing health equity requires cardiovascular teams equipped with actionable tools, dashboards, workflows, and implementation strategies that can support real-world, equity-focused interventions designed to improve cardiovascular health outcomes. The session will feature three presentations. The first, Mapping the Burden: Using Equity Data to Identify Care Gaps, will feature an interactive demonstration of the ACC Health Equity Heat Map to help attendees "map the burden" of cardiovascular disease and social vulnerability. The second presentation, Reducing Access Gaps Using Implementation Science: Turning Data Into Action, will detail how cardiovascular programs can use data to implement changes, such strengthening community partnerships and foundation organizations, improving access to diagnostics, coordinating follow up pathways, offering transportation support, and enhancing outreach in areas with persistent gaps. The final presentation, Digital and Community Integration: Leveraging Technology and Community Partnerships to Expand Access, will explore how technology and community partnerships can work together to broaden access to cardiovascular care in high burden areas. The session will also include time for audience questions and discussion.

Speakers:

Christina Cantey, DNP, FNP-C, AACC, CCK (Moderator)

Robert O. Roswell, MD, FACC

George Sokos, DO, FACC

Misty Theriot, BSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC

Salima Qamruddin, MD

4704. Championing Communities of Health: A Cross-Industry Panel Discussion on Health Equity Programs

ACC's Strategic Plan prioritizes health equity as a crucial part of the College's future. Without addressing inequities in all aspects of care, it will be impossible to build a future where cardiovascular disease is no longer the #1 killer worldwide. Tackling these challenges requires cross-sector collaboration and commitment. This panel discussion will focus specifically on the College's Health Equity strategy and priorities, the role both the ACC and its partners play in improving patient outcomes and insights from collaborators in the life sciences industry.

Panelists:

Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, MACC (Moderator)

American College of Cardiology Representative

Patricia Parada, B.S., MEng (Bristol Myers Squibb)

Alice Koehler (Omron)

Boston Scientific Representative

Johnson & Johnson Representative

4705. Health Equity Across the Lifespan

Driven by social drivers of health, cardiovascular health risks and inequities emerge across an individual's lifespan. This session will feature a panel discussion that follows a patient as they age. The panel discussion will highlight critical health stages across the patient's life, including birth, childhood nutritional insecurity, pregnancy with elevated cardiometabolic risk, and old adulthood frailty and morbidities.  Panelists will discuss cardiovascular inequities that begin before birth and intensify over time with social drivers of health functioning as physiological stressors that alter risk trajectories. Following the panel discussions, participants should be able to: 1) Describe how inequities in cardiovascular risk emerge across the lifespan, beginning in utero and extending through older adulthood; 2) Review models that improve equitable access to prevention and screening across the lifespan; and 3) identify community strategies to improve equitable cardiovascular disease screening and prevention.

Speakers:

Jamez M. Fletcher, NP, AACC (Moderator)

Diane Holmes, DNP, FNP-BC, CHFN, AACC (Moderator)

Annette K. Ansong, MD, FACC

Malissa J. Wood, MD, FACC

Jamie L. Jackson, PhD

Jae Patton, CRNP

Karen Aspry, MD, MS, FACC