Celebrating the completion of training of three Heart Healthy Ambassadors for Puerto Palomas. (L-R) Dr. Francisco Javier Parra, Victoria Ibarra, Bianca Paulette and Benjamin Jacquez (MPH Consultant Constellation Consulting, LLC, and Aylin Vega.
Three leaders in Border Partners’ Puerto Palomas staff now can provide a new and important health care offering to the community. Aylin Vega, Dr. Francisco Javier Parra, and Victoria Ibarra recently completed certifications as “Healthy Heart Ambassadors.” Their training from the New Mexico Department of Health allows them to assist people suffering from high blood pressure.
Confronting Hypertension
With this training and certification as a trained facilitator, our Heart Healthy Ambassadors can help community members monitor and manage their conditions. Hypertension is endemic in Mexico. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Mexico. They account for roughly 24% of all adult deaths, with over 97,000 deaths from heart diseases reported in 2023.
Their focus will be assisting adults who either have a diagnosis of high blood pressure or who are currently taking medication to lower blood pressure. Over four months, our newly approved Heart Healthy Ambassadors will provide education, encouragement, and support to program participants. These designated participants will measure and track their blood pressure at home using a self-identified tracking tool. Our Heart Healthy Ambassadors will provide one-on-one office hours and offer group-based nutrition education to help participants gain better blood pressure management.
Heart Healthy Ambassadors’ Certification
Training for the National Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program training happened through e-learning. The ambassadors also received a virtual/live assessment on these key topics:
- Enrolling eligible participants
- Taking blood pressure
- Setting up office hours
- Coaching participants
- Facilitating nutrition seminars
Our new Heart Healthy Ambassadors successfully earned their digital badges and now can access an ambassador resource hub. We appreciate the initiative these Heart Healthy Ambassadors took to finish this thorough training. They now are empowered with more tools and resources to prevent heart disease and strokes. This strengthens opportunities for health in Puerto Palomas.
