The first Statewide Plan was published in 2003.  As the Partnership has grown, to better reflect the Partners' work across the Commonwealth seven goals were identified in 2009.  Lead Partners develop objectives toward achiving the Statewide Plan goals.  Those are listed below.  Lead Partners may propose new objectives to the Statewide Plan at any time.  Contact us.

Annual progress toward these objectives is reported in the Progress Report.  Download the 2009-2010 Progress Report:  09-10 Partnership Progress Report

Statewide Plan Goal: Promote policy and environmental changes that increase healthy eating and active, smoke-free living.

Tobacco-free campuses at all DMH-owned or -operated properties (expansion of the 2008-2009 objective): Tobacco-free campus policy at all inpatient facilities, administrative offices, and outpatient programs.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Mental Health

Secondhand smoke in home settings:  Decrease exposure to secondhand smoke in home settings for Massachusetts residents.
Lead Partner: 
MA Department of Public Health - Tobacco Control Program

QuitWorks in community health centers:  Expand adoption of the tobacco cessation program QuitWorks in Massachusetts community health centers that serve low-income populations and racial and ethnic minorities at high risk for chronic disease.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Tobacco Control Program

QuitWorks for individuals with disabilities:  Expand use of the QuitWorks tobacco cessation program by agencies that serve individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Healthy Aging and Disability Unit

QuitWorks for racial and ethnic minorities:  Expand use of the tobacco cessation program QuitWorks in healthcare sites that serve racial and ethnic minotiries within the Women's Health Network (WHN) and the Men's Health Partnership (MHP).
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Women's Health Network and Men's Health Partnership

Mass in Motion (MiM):  Change policies to increase physical activity and access to nutritious foods for adults in Massachusetts.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Program/Wellness
Section

Statewide Plan Goal: Reduce the incidence and prevalence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress, diabetes, and unhealthy weight.

Work-related stress and CVD:  Increase awareness of health professionals on the causal association between job strain and cardiovascular disease.
Lead Partner:
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Worksites and chronic disease prevention:  Increase the number of worksites with evidence-based policies and systems in place to prevent and control chronic diseases including heart disease and stroke in Fall River, New Bedford, Springfield, Lowell, and Lawrence.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Wellness Division
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Heart disease and women:  Increase awareness of high risk for heart disease in women in Massachusetts.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Women's Health Network
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Quality improvement collaborative in community health centers:  Develop and implement a state-based chronic care collaborative model among select community health centers of Massachusetts.
Lead Partners:
MA League of Community Health Centers
MA Department of Public Health - Diabetes Prevention and Control Program

Blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes control:  Improve the control of blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, identify systems changes to support intervention in the primary healthcase setting that improve the control of chronic disease, and identify and/or develop and evaluate methods and materials to educate adults on blood pressure control and management.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
MA Department of Public Health - Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program

Blood pressure measurement:  Redesign systems to improve the accuracy of blood pressure measurement in medical offices.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Women's Health Network and Men's Health Partnership
MA Department of Public Health - Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program

Statewide Plan Goal: Improve recognition of and response to heart attack and stroke signs and symptoms.

Stroke signs and symptoms:  Increase Massachusetts adults' knowledge and recognition of stroke warning signs and symptoms.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Heart attack signs and symptoms:  Increase Massachusetts adults' knowledge and recognition of heart attack warning signs and symptoms.
Lead Partner:
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Statewide Plan Goal: Improve emergency medical systems' response to heart attack and stroke.

HeartSafe Communities:  Increase the number of Massachusetts cities and towns designated as HeartSafe Communities.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Pre-hospital care for heart attack:  Improve the quality of care for heart attack (acute cardiac ischemia) in pre-hospital settings through feedback reports on the process and outcomes of patient care.
Lead Partner:
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute

CPR and AEDs in schools:  Promote legislation that requires all Massachusetts schools to have a recognized emergency response plan for heart attack and stroke, including CPR training and placement of and training in the use of AEDs.
Lead Partner:
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Essential School Health Services:  Increase the percent of Essential School Health Services (ESHS) school districts that have at least one AED in all school buildings.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - School Health Services Program

Use of 9-1-1 by non-English speakers:  Increase awareness and use of 9-1-1 by the non-English-speaking populations in Massachusetts.
Lead Partner:
State 9-1-1 Department

Emergency response plans in worksites:  Increase the number of Massachusetts worksites with emergency response plans for heart attack.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Wellness Division
American Heart Assocation/American Stroke Association

Emergency Medical Dispatch:  Develop a comprehensive action plan to implement standardized Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocols in Massachusetts Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) as appropriate.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program
MA Department of Public Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services
State 9-1-1 Department

Electronic data collection by ambulance services:  Increase the percentage of Massachusetts ambulance services that electronically collect and transmit the mandated National Emergency Medical Service Information System (NEMSIS) pre-hospital data set.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services

EMS acute stroke care:  By 2012,, implement a pilot with EMS providers for improving acute stroke care.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services

Statewide Plan Goal: Improve the quality of care for acute and sub-acute events of heart disease and stroke.

Stroke care in hospitals:  Sustain the Stroke Collaborative Reaching for Excellence (SCORE) to foster an improvement in stroke care including measuring, tracking, and improving the quality of care for acute stroke patients.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Control Program
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Get with the Guidelines®:  Increase the number of Massachusetts acute care hospitals that implement and use the American Heart Association's Get with the Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease Program.
Lead Partner:
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Statewide Plan Goal: Prevent secondary cardiac and stroke events by improving rehabilitation and post-acute care services.

No Lead Partner objective submitted.

Statewide Plan Goal: Improve access to health care for heart disease, stroke, and related risk factors for all populations in Massachusetts.

No Lead Partner objective submitted.

Accomplished Objectives

Accomplished in 2008-2009

Tobacco cessation for inpatients in MA Department of Mental Health facilities.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Mental Health

Accomplished in 2006-2007

Decrease Massachusetts employees' exposure to secondhand smoke by enforcing the worksite smoking ban law.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Tobacco Control Program

Increase provision of interpreter services for non-English-speaking 9-1-1 callers in Massachusetts.
Lead Partner: 
Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board (SETB - former State 9-1-1 Department)

Increase the number of EMTs trained to identify stroke using the Boston Operation Stroke Scale (BOSS) or equivalent.
Lead Partners:
MA Department of Public Health - Office of Emergency Medical Services
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Accomplished in 2005-2006

Increase the number of Massachusetts hospitals with Primary Stroke Service designations so that all residents live within 30 minutes of a hospital certified to treat acute stroke.
Lead Partner:
MA Department of Public Health - Division of Health Care Quality