Launch of the HEARTS Special Issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health
Join us on Wednesday, September 23, at 10:00 a.m. (Washington, D.C. time/EDT) for a webinar organized in observance of World Heart Day 2026, featuring the regional launch of the HEARTS special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health.
The publication compiles articles prepared by implementation teams, ministries of health, and academic partners from various countries in the Region, documenting results, lessons learned, and innovations generated by the HEARTS community of practice. Together, these experiences provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of HEARTS, the progress and challenges of its implementation, and its contribution to improving the quality, organization, and outcomes of health services.
The session will be moderated by Dr. Pedro Orduñez, Senior Advisor for Cardiovascular Diseases at PAHO and technical lead for HEARTS in the Americas.
Objectives
- To present the key contributions of the HEARTS in the Americas special issue as a platform for generating and disseminating evidence on the effectiveness, impact, and implementation progress of HEARTS.
- To highlight experiences and lessons learned that contribute to strengthening, institutionalizing, scaling up, and sustaining HEARTS implementation and its contribution to the integrated care of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic conditions within primary care.
How to participate
- DATE: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- TIME: 10:00 a.m. (Washington, D.C. time or EDT) [Check the time in other cities at the bottom of the page]
- LANGUAGES: English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with simultaneous interpretation in all languages.
- REGISTRATION: https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1bXihT20RxmX7sCaWs7jFw
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
World Heart Day Commemoration: Update on the implementation status and recent results of HEARTS in the Americas
- Dr. Pedro Ordúñez, PAHO
Remarks from the Pan American Journal of Public Health
Recognition by the Pan American Journal of Public Health Editorial Team of the authors, peer reviewers, editors, and production team behind the special issue
- Eliane Pereira Dos Santos, PAHO
SPECIAL ISSUE LAUNCH
Block 1. HEARTS Outcomes and Impact - Presentation of the infographic summary: Dr. Esteban Londoño, PAHO
HEARTS Special Issue Articles: Health, Access, and Financial Protection
- Blood pressure outcomes of HEARTS programme in south-west Trinidad: a longitudinal mixed-effects analysis.
- Strengthening Access to Antihypertensive Medicines Through HEARTS in the Americas: The Grenada Experience.
- Economic impact of standardized hypertension treatment on household income in Argentina: a longitudinal analysis, 2019–2024.
Comment and Recognition: Dr. Santiago Torroba, PAHO, Argentina
Block 2. Implementation, Institutionalization, and Scale-up - Presenta el resumen infográfico: Dr. Andrés Rosende, OPS
HEARTS Special Issue Articles: Implementation, Institutionalization, and Scale-up of HEARTS in Health Systems
- Barriers and Facilitators to HEARTS Clinical Pathway Implementation in Belize: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- Understanding implementation of the HEARTS model for hypertension and diabetes care: Qualitative and mixed-methods results of a pilot trial in Guatemala.
- The Suriname HEARTS Initiative Experience: Challenges in the First Phase of Implementation, 2022–2025.
- Implementation Process of HEARTS in the Southern Region of Santa Fe Province
- Experience of Community Cardiovascular Health Promoters within the HEARTS Strategy in a Territory in Southern Chile
Comment and Recognition: Dr. Alied Bencomo, PAHO Mexico
Block 3. Continuous Quality Improvement and the Transition to Integrated Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Care - Presentation of the infographic summary: Dr. Esteban Londoño, PAHO
HEARTS Special Issue Articles: Continuous Quality Improvement and the Transition to Integrated Cardiovascular, Kidney, and Metabolic Care
- Self-Assessment as a Tool for Continuous Quality Improvement: Experience Implementing HEARTS in Chile.
- National Implementation of HEARTS in Cuba: The Role of Innovation in a Resource-Constrained Setting.
- HEARTS Best Practices in the Dominican Republic.
- HEARTS in Guatemala: Transforming Primary Health Care to Address Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Risk.
- Proposal to Strengthen Network-Based Kidney Care in Chile through the Implementation of HEARTS 2.0.
Comment and Recognition: Dr. Eric Zúñiga, Nephrologist, Antofagasta Health Service, Chile
KEY INNOVATIONS OF HEARTS IN THE AMERICAS
- PRISMA Health: HEARTS Beyond Latin America. A HEARTS quality improvement project in a large-scale health system in the United States
- Dr. Mark Shaffer, PRISMA Health, South Carolina, United States
- HEARTS Quality Accreditation. HEARTS Accreditation: Institutionalizing Quality Improvement for Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Services in Primary Care
- Dr. Esteban Londoño and Dr. Pedro Ordúñez, PAHO
- AHA/ACC 2025 Guidelines and HEARTS 2.0: Implications for the Future
- Dr. Donald DiPette, Dr. Sean Battle, United States, and Dr. Andrés Rosende, PAHO.
- HEARTS in the Americas Knowledge Showcase. Presentation of the HEARTS Knowledge Showcase
- Dra. Mariana Rodríguez, PAHO
CLOSING
Closing Remarks and Recognition of Countries and Author Groups
- Dr. Pedro Ordúñez, PAHO
Context
HEARTS in the Americas, led by ministries of health with the technical cooperation of PAHO, has established itself as one of the largest-scale and most impactful implementations of the World Health Organization’s Global HEARTS initiative. HEARTS in the Americas contributes to strengthening primary care and advancing toward integrated care for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CRM) conditions through standardized clinical pathways, multidisciplinary teams, access to essential medicines and technologies, information systems, and continuous quality improvement processes.
Time in other cities
- 7:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver.
- 8:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San Salvador, San Jose (Costa Rica), Tegucigalpa.
- 9:00 a.m. – Bogota, Kingston, Lima, Panama City, Quito.
- 10:00 a.m. – Havana, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, Washington D.C., Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, La Paz, Port of Spain, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Saint George's, Saint John's (Antigua), Santiago.
- 11:00 a.m. – Asuncion, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo.
- 4:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid.
For other cities, check the local times in the following link.