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

Learn more about Crockett.

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”

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a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

A mixed methods pilot feasibility study of a primary care-based dyadic cardiovascular risk reduction intervention: “Heart Care Pairs”

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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.

“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

Embracing values-based self-care during the holidays

As the holiday season picks up, it’s easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle. In the November 13 webinar, “Values-based Self Care for the Holiday Season and Beyond,” Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D., Forge AHEAD scholar and assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine, shared invaluable insights on aligning self-care practices with personal values.

Key Takeaways from Dr. Crockett

Crockett emphasized that self-care goes beyond just relieving daily stresses. “Self-care includes all the things we do to live well, support health and well-being, and manage stress. We must consider self-care not only as an escape from the things that ail us, but as a resource to connect to what matters most to us (i.e., our values). Values include our deepest desires for how we want to treat ourselves, others, and the world around us. Unlike goals, values are things that we achieve, but they give us direction for our actions.”

Here are some of her key tips for incorporating values into your self-care routine:

Kaylee Crockett, Ph.D.

Forge AHEAD Center Scholar, Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine, UAB Heersink School of Medicine

Identify Your Values: Reflect on the type of person you want to be. Consider qualities you want to foster and how you wish to be perceived by others. Write down 4-5 words that resonate with you and describe what they mean to you.
Make Values Identification Social: Engage in discussions with family and friends about shared values. Support each other in staying accountable to what matters most.
Prioritize Values in Self-Care Activities:Use your values as a guide to cultivate activities for self-care.For more exercises on identifying your values, check out this resource here.

Moving Forward with Values-Based Self Care

By aligning your self-care practices with your values, you can enhance your well-being during the holiday season and beyond. Remember, self-care is not just about what you do to relax but about connecting with your deepest desires and living in a way that reflects them.

Let’s continue to prioritize our well-being by making values-based self-care a part of our daily lives.

For more about Crockett’s Forge AHEAD research, see this page.