Healthy Heart Toolkit

Photo of a Tribal leader

• Start with a community-driven approach.
  • This will help ensure community ownership and potential participation.
  • Pay close attention to input from Tribal and community leaders, your organization's staff, and participants.
• Stakeholder support is crucial for developing and sustaining your program.
  • The support of Tribal and community leaders can increase your program's visibility and acceptance in the community.
  • Buy-in within your own organization will prove invaluable during implementation.
• To gain stakeholder support, consider talking to individuals representing the following groups:
  • Tribal Leaders (e.g., health committee or board, Tribal Council, Elders)
  • Community Leaders (e.g., business leaders, wellness programs, religious leaders)
  • Organization Leaders (e.g., administration, medical director, diabetes program coordinator, Board of Directors)
  • Providers (e.g., physicians, nurses, pharmacists)
  • Potential Participants (e.g., clinic patients, diabetes support group members, senior nutrition program attendees)

Developing strong partnerships is one of the keys to a successful program. Partners can help recruit participants, share resources, and encourage support for your program in the community.

• Develop a list of potential partners:
  • Healthcare systems or providers in your area that patients may utilize (e.g., clinical specialists, outpatient clinics, hospitals)
  • Community programs (e.g., YMCA, commodity food programs)
  • Health programs (e.g., behavioral health)
  • Wellness programs (e.g., Tribal fitness centers)
  • Local colleges
  • Diabetes programs
  • Community diabetes groups and advisory boards
• Meet with community organization program directors.
  • Discuss your HH program's purpose and goals.
  • Discuss ways to share or maximize resources.

• Coordinate with the following departments in your organization to ensure consistency, effective use of resources, and quality patient care:
  • Health care providers
  • Clinical and laboratory services
  • Administrative and financial staff
• Develop, monitor, and update policies and protocols among teams, departments, and facilities working with the HH program.
  • Work with the clinic's health information/medical records team to develop a process for accessing, organizing, and documenting medical information in accordance with confidentiality standards established by your local clinic.
• Use a database for tracking participant progress (e.g., iCare, RPMS or other patient registry, population management applications)
• Assess community needs and resources to identify appropriate facilities.
  • Identify space for staff, group activities, one-on-one visits, and large community activities.
• Consider purchasing or obtaining necessary supplies and equipment, such as:
  • Office equipment
  • Software, including clinical management systems (e.g., RPMS)
  • Clinical equipment and assessment tools (e.g., blood pressure cuff or automated instrument, monofilaments, scale and height measurement)
  • Fitness testing equipment (e.g., skin fold calipers, tape measure, stopwatch, heart rate monitor)

• Key staff positions you may consider hiring for your HH program:
  • Program Coordinator
  • Health professionals/case managers (e.g., nurse, health educator, diabetes educator, dietitian, pharmacist)
• For case managers, determine the case manager/participant ratio.
  • The ratio is dependent on local needs, but generally, a caseload of 40 to 80 participants per case manager is reasonable.

Communication messages and materials are essential to increase awareness, to gain stakeholder support, and to recruit participants for your HH program.

• Develop a program identity
  • Choose a name and design a logo for your HH program that is unique and will be meaningful in your community.
    • Consider obtaining feedback on your program name from community members.
    • Consider working with local artists to design your program's logo.
    • Incorporate local culture and traditions into messages and graphics.
• Develop program materials, such as:
  • Letterhead
  • Cards
  • Stationery
  • Signage (e.g., banners, marquee)
  • Brochures
  • Flyers
  • Fact sheets
  • Promotional materials in your recruitment efforts, such as:
    • Monthly calendar of events
    • Public service announcement scripts for radio and TV stations (provide brief information about your program and contact information)
    • Print ads and articles (create ads and write articles about your program, the benefits of CVD risk reduction, participant success stories, project news, etc.)
• Ensure that you have written consent to include a person's photo and/or quote on materials, websites, and social media.
• Distribute program materials. Consider the following:
  • Community clinics and health centers
  • Recreational facilities (e.g., basketball courts or gym, wellness center, softball fields)
  • Pharmacy medicine bags
  • Local events and powwows
  • Coalition and Tribal council meetings
  • Grocery stores and other local businesses
  • Worksites
  • Local and Tribal radio and TV stations
  • Tribal and area newspapers and newsletters
  • Movie theaters
  • Websites
  • Blogs
  • Social media
  • Tribal businesses (e.g., grocery stores, gas stations, casinos)
• Develop presentations about your HH program.
  • Present at meetings with stakeholders, partners, and community members.
• Conduct outreach and promotional activities.
• Ensure that your messages and materials are updated frequently.

For more information on developing messages and materials:

• SDPI HH Program: Module 1: Getting Started – Appendix

During this stage of program development, begin to document all meetings – with team staff, other departments, stakeholders, and partners. Meeting minutes should reflect a plan of action and staff responsible for accomplishing goals.