Helping Patients with Hypertension

“From the first day, I was very pleased with the high quality care and affordable medicine I received”
—Mary C., El Salvador Clinic PatientMedicines, routine doctor visits and lifestyle changes can help people manage hypertension – a condition affecting one in three adults worldwide. But in low-and middle-income countries where medical resources are scarce, hypertension can cripple and kill.To help fill this crucial gap, AmeriCares provides cardiovascular medicines to hospitals and health clinics in the U.S. and worldwide.In 2012 alone, we sent $27.5 million in cardiovascular medications – 1.9 million course treatments – to partners treating patients in Latin America and the Caribbean, where heart attacks and strokes are among the leading causes of death.These deliveries help patients get access to treatment they need but cannot afford, adding healthy, productive years to many lives.One such patient, Mary C., is getting treatment for hypertension and diabetes at the AmeriCares Family Care Clinic in El Salvador, a primary care facility that has treated more than 300,000 patients in its 9 years of operation. Mary, 87, first came to the clinic in 2005.  In addition to diagnosis and treatment, she was educated about valuable lifestyle and nutritional changes that would help her manage her conditions.“From the first day, I was very pleased with the high quality care and affordable medicine I received,” she said.Mary explained that since starting antihypertensive treatment, she has felt improvement in her health and quality of life, which motivates her to continue attending her checkups on time, reducing her risk of dangerous complications.Raising awareness about hypertension and helping patients like Mary cut their risk of heart attack and stroke is the focus of World Health Day 2013. Today and every day, AmeriCares provides life-saving medicines and supplies to give people with hypertension access to the treatment they need.Read more about our targeted work to help people with chronic diseases here.Read MoreDonate Now