Heart health takes teamwork: How Forge AHEAD and one UAB researcher are creating lasting change
High blood pressure silently affects over 42% of adults in Alabama, often without noticeable symptoms, making it a serious health risk. Managing this condition can be challenging, especially when striving for lasting changes that improve health.
Did You Know?
Black communities in particular experience higher impacts due to longstanding barriers to accessing health resources. Addressing these challenges requires community-driven solutions to support individuals and families in achieving better health outcomes.
With the support of the Forge AHEAD Center, Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D., a scholar and researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, is working to change this story. Her innovative Heart Care Pairs program, supported by two Forge AHEAD pilot awards, is helping patients and their loved ones team up for better heart health.
What Are Heart Care Pairs?
Heart Care Pairs believes everyone deserves support in managing their health. Through this program, individuals managing high blood pressure collaborate with a trusted partner, a spouse, family member, or close friend—to build healthier habits together.
“We believe that involving a supportive partner in their healthcare will empower patients to make lasting changes in their heart health and emotional well-being too. We really hope Heart Care Pairs will set a precedent that health is a team activity, not just for individuals to go alone”, Crockett explains.
Heart Care Pairs involves up to six sessions with a behavioral health specialist, either in person or through telehealth. Together, participants:
- Learn practical ways to improve their diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress management.
- Set shared goals for heart health.
- Build communication skills to support each other in meaningful ways.
The result? Healthier hearts, stronger relationships, and a path toward lasting well-being.
Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Why Heart Care Pairs?
When someone has a trusted partner helping them with health-related decisions and lifestyle changes, they are more likely to succeed in managing their condition.
Why It Matters in Our Communities
In Alabama, Black adults and individuals living with lower incomes are disproportionately affected by hypertension. Without proper care, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, strokes, and other serious conditions.
As a National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)-funded center, Forge AHEAD partners with communities across Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to develop solutions that work for the people they serve.
“Forge AHEAD supports active community engagement in the research process”, says Crockett. “Heart Care Pairs is meeting primary care patients and their potential care partners where they are and soliciting their feedback on the resources they need most for better heart health. With them, our program can yield the information, communication tools, and support they need to succeed.”
How Forge AHEAD Makes It Possible
Crockett’s projects—Adaptation and Initial Feasibility of a Primary Care-Based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: Heart Care Pairs (awarded in 2024) and Pilot Testing of a Primary Care-Based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: Heart Care Pairs (awarded in 2025)—are funded by the Forge AHEAD Pilot & Feasibility Scholars Program. These grants are designed to help researchers address local health disparities with tailored solutions.
Crockett’s Forge AHEAD Pilot Projects
Adaptation and Initial Feasibility of a Primary Care-based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: “Heart Care Pairs”
A mixed methods pilot feasibility study of a primary care-based dyadic cardiovascular risk reduction intervention: “Heart Care Pairs”
This support allows Crockett to work directly with primary care clinics in Alabama, recruiting patients and their partners, listening to their needs, and refining the program to fit real-life challenges. The ultimate goal? A scalable model that can improve heart health across the South and beyond.
Heart Health Is a Community Effort
For years, differences in healthcare access have contributed to uneven health outcomes, leaving many feeling unheard. Researchers like Crockett are working to change this. By empowering individuals and their families to take charge of their heart health, they are helping to build stronger, healthier communities.
This Heart Health Month, Forge AHEAD invites you to join the effort. Whether it’s encouraging a loved one to visit the doctor, making small changes to your own habits, or spreading the word about programs like Heart Care Pairs, you can be part of the solution.
Get Involved with Forge AHEAD
Join us in expanding access to quality care and supporting innovative programs like Heart Care Pairs Learn more about our work, connect with our scholars, staff, or community partner organizations, and join the movement for healthier, more equitable communities.
Because better health starts with us—working together.
