Cardiovascular Institute of North Colorado earns PHA Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers Program accreditation

Designation assures access to specialized care for thousands with PH

SILVER SPRING, MD (January 24, 2019) – The pulmonary hypertension (PH) program at the Cardiovascular Institute of North Colorado in Greeley, Colo., has been designated a Regional Clinical Program, a designation of the Pulmonary Hypertension Care Centers (PHCC) accreditation program launched in 2014 by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA). The program assures that the thousands of individuals with PH, a life-threatening lung disease, are getting care from clinicians following expert consensus guidelines who specialize in their often-misdiagnosed condition.

PH, also known as high blood pressure of the lungs, affects children and adults of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. It can result from the arteries in the lungs becoming damaged, narrowed or stiffened, forcing the right side of the heart to pump extra hard and leading to right heart failure and death. Heart disease, connective tissue disorders, pulmonary emboli and many other common conditions can put people at risk for developing the disease. Symptoms of PH are non-specific — they include shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Consequently, people with the PH can go months, sometimes years, believing they have other less life-threatening illnesses, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

To be accredited, a Regional Clinical Program must demonstrate a commitment to providing expert-level care, proficiently evaluating PH patients based on published evidence-based guidelines and providing expert treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PHA rolled out the PHCC program to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with PH. In total, 62 programs have earned PHCC accreditation: 56 Centers of Comprehensive Care and six Regional Clinical Programs. A full list of accredited PHCC programs is on the PHA website.

About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is the country’s leading pulmonary hypertension (PH) organization. PHA’s mission is to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH; its vision is a world without PH, empowered by hope. PHA achieves this by connecting and working together with the entire PH community of patients, families, health care professionals and researchers. For more information and to learn how you can support PH patients, visit www.PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on Twitter and Instagram @PHAssociation and on Facebook at facebook.com/PulmonaryHypertensionAssociation.

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