The ACC has joined forces with Foodsmart, Higi and the Healthy Corner Store to launch the Buffalove Caring Hearts Initiative, which will provide sustainable, ongoing support and infrastructure for cardiovascular health and food access/security in the communities directly affected by the tragic events that occurred at Tops Friendly Markets this past May in Buffalo, NY.

As part of the program, Foodsmart – an all-in-one app-based grocery platform – will offer registered dietitian coaching, recipe and cost-effective grocery shopping support and tailored meal planning tools. Communities in ZIP codes 14208 and 14209 will also receive free grocery delivery, automated meal planning and grocery lists, and convenient, budget-friendly recipes.

In addition, Higi's Smart Health Stations will be deployed at Healthy Corner Stores enabling members of the community to monitor their health numbers like blood pressure and weight, understand risk factors for conditions like heart attack and stroke, and gain access to information on heart health from ACC's CardioSmart program. The platform's survey capabilities, physiological screening tools and other patient engagement mechanisms will allow Higi to provide education and personalized recommendations to resources available in the community.

"Community tragedies like the mass shooting in Buffalo have a direct impact on heart health. The ACC is mission-driven to improve heart health, both globally and locally," says Eric Stecker, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Science and Quality Committee. "With the Buffalove Caring Hearts Initiative, our goal is to provide ongoing support that empowers, connects and provides convenience to the community for years to come by supplying resources for food security, nutrition, meal planning, in-store health screening services and patient risk assessments – all of which have a direct impact on heart health."

As part of its mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health, the ACC has been working with the Healthy Corner Store Initiative to address health care disparities in Buffalo and other communities across the U.S. through a multi-level approach aimed at expanding access to fresh produce, healthier options and important heart healthy education. The Buffalo project was accelerated after the recent tragedy on the city's East Side.

Stay tuned for more information on the rollout of future projects. Click here to read more.

Pervasive racial disparities in cardiovascular health care result in part from a shortage of clinicians belonging to underrepresented minorities (URMs), according to a recent article published in JACC.

Abdul Mannan Khan Minhas, MD, Shazib Saghee, MD, and colleagues note that URMs in cardiology, defined as physicians or trainees of African American or Black, Hispanic, Native American or Alaskan race, represent between 10-12% of practicing cardiologists in the U.S., despite constituting roughly 30% of the U.S. population. While small improvements have been made in encouraging a greater number of URMs entering the field, the pool of candidates remain small due to constraints posed by structural racism, lack of racial diversity among academic faculty, etc.

The authors suggest "a need for more effective systematic changes to ensure equitable training opportunities within medical schools and graduate training programs." ACC's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, including bias training and the Internal Medicine Program, are starting to have an impact, but long-term change doesn't happen overnight. However, Minhas, Saghee, et al., say the end result is worth it.

"It is of paramount importance to overcome the hesitancy to embrace racial/ethnic diversity in the cardiology workforce," they write. "It has been shown to improve the learning environment; promote equity and empathy in health care; benefit the health care of all sections of society; improve the outcomes; and prove instrumental in research and innovation advancements."

Click here to read the full article. Visit ACC.org/ACCPresident to watch the recent "UnEDited" presidential discussion with ACC President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, FACC, on the topic of cardiovascular fellowship training and challenges and opportunities to improve equity and diversity within the profession. A more diverse cardiology workforce will contribute to better health care for the U.S. population.