Catalyst Grant Gives Life to Hypertension Control Program
Imagine being able to track your blood pressure—anywhere, anytime. Despite the need, some patients at Cleveland Clinic’s Beachwood Family Health Center didn’t have the proper resources to track this important health measure.
Sonal Patil, MD, a family medicine physician at Beachwood Family Health Center, saw an opportunity to make blood pressure monitoring easier for her patients.
“We see complex patients with multiple chronic problems and have to address them in short, time constrained visits,” Dr. Patil says. “Because blood pressure fluctuates frequently, it is challenging for patients and physicians to make decisions in such short visits.”
Many factors can impact blood pressure, according to Dr. Patil. Diet, exercise, sleep and emotions all cause blood pressure fluctuations throughout the day. With limited time during patient visits, it can be difficult for physicians to obtain accurate readings. Untreated hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause stroke, heart attack and other serious health problems.
With support from Cleveland Clinic’s Catalyst Grant program, Dr. Patil created a six-week hypertension control program that combines home blood pressure monitoring with shared medical appointments, lifestyle education and mindfulness training practices.
Catalyst Grants
Funded entirely through philanthropy, Catalyst Grants provide vital seed funding to try new ideas and prove new concepts and approaches. 100% of donations go directly toward Cleveland Clinic employees' brightest ideas and innovations—ideas like Dr.Patil’s. Gifts are quickly put into action and support the entire cycle of ideas, from innovations to outcomes. The more money raised now, the more ideas that can become a reality.
All contributions to the Catalyst Grants are combined and awarded to help advance caregivers' ideas. Twice a year, caregivers from all across Cleveland Clinic are invited to apply for Catalyst Grants. Through a competitive process, these one-time grants are awarded to the project proposals that show the most promise for making an impact within one year. Caregivers must report on their progress and return any unused funds.
“The program has impacted me tremendously,” Dr. Patil says. “I’ve truly wanted to do this monitoring in real time from my experience at my previous institution. This has been enormous for me and the work I’m interested in doing.”
A Program that Empowers
“I think the program was very beneficial,” says one participant who completed the program. “I continue to monitor my blood pressure every day and have joined a 16-week exercise class to help keep me accountable. I also loved the SMA [shared medical appointments] and loved being able to hear what other patients were going through.”
As the program continues, Dr. Patil is hoping to see blood pressure improvement in at least 30% of study participants. The funding will end in six months but the physicians at Beachwood Family Health Center would like to continue the program.
“We have at-home blood pressure monitors from the grant. We hope to roll this over to more patients who are interested in doing the program for six weeks and lend them for self-monitoring. The shared medical appointments will be covered by insurance. We hope to continue the program and hear more success stories,” Dr. Patil says.
How you can support the program
Your gift to our Catalyst Grant program sparks the vision of our caregivers, encouraging the bold steps forward that make a difference for our patients and their families. Learn more here.
