The grants are part of a $5.8 million investment aimed at expanding the reach and scope of Kaiser Permanente’s Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday (PHASE) program.

PHASE combines medications and lifestyle changes to provide an evidence-based, cost-effective treatment for people with existing heart disease and those at greatest risk for developing it, including individuals with diabetes age 55 years and older.

The heart healthy regimen has helped Kaiser Permanente reduce heart attacks and stroke-related hospital admissions among its own members by 60 percent since it began the program in 2002. Kaiser Permanente has been sharing the program with community health centers through a combination of grant funding, clinical expertise and physician mentors since 2006.

Camarena Health in Madera and Valley Health Team, a federally qualified health center, will each receive $150,000 in grants to implement and continue the PHASE program at their clinics over the next 36 months. Nearly 4,000 Valley residents will be served through the program.

“We hope these grants will help Valley residents at risk of having a heart attack or stroke get access to the care they need to a lead long, productive lives,” Kaiser Permanente Fresno RN, Senior Vice President and Area Manager Debbie Hemker said in a statement.

“Kaiser Permanente Fresno is proud to partner with these community-based health organizations by offering our clinical expertise, funding and technical support through our life-saving PHASE program.”

Camarena Health implemented the PHASE program last year and will expand it this year to reach more patients.  

“Camarena Health is excited to partner and collaborate with Kaiser Permanente on the PHASE grant,” Camarena Chief Operations Officer Christine Howland said in a statement. “We will utilize the foundation of work we completed last year to expand on the PHASE program with a focus on hypertensive patients.”