Washington, DC, January 7, 2026 (PAHO) – The Pan American Journal of Public Health, the scientific publication of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), recently published a special issue dedicated to strengthening primary health care to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Americas.
Objective. To describe an experience with community health champions in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases within the framework of the HEARTS initiative, taking into account territorial characteristics.
11 AUGUST 2026, WASHINGTON, D.C.— Dermatophilosis, a bacterial skin infection characterized by localized skin lesions, is rare in humans and has historically been transmitted through contact with infected animals.
The HEARTS initiative in the Americas is a key strategy for strengthening primary health care and improving the management of high blood pressure, the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In the Dominican Republic, its implementation has evolved toward an institutionalized model focused on quality, governance, and access to medications.
Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In 2025, two major evidence-based frameworks evolved in parallel: HEARTS 2.0, an implementation-oriented clinical pathway for integrated cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) care through primary health care, and the updated American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Blood Pressure Guideline, one of the world's leading hypertension guidelines.
Objective: To estimate the proportion of healthcare providers who perceived the HEARTS Clinical Pathway as easy to apply in routine practice and identify perceived barriers and facilitators influencing its use.
Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of death in the Region of the Americas, accounting for more than 2.2 million deaths annually, and pose a critical challenge to health systems, economic development, and social equity. The absolute number of cases has continued to rise, while the decline in mortality has slowed since the mid-2010s, jeopardizing progress toward the goal of reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by 30% by 2030.
Objective: To describe blood pressure trajectories and hypertension control among patients enrolled in the HEARTS program in south-west Trinidad.
Objectives: To compare the performance of paper-based record-keeping versus an offline digital app when used by vaccination brigades in Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon in 2025, considering four dimensions: operational efficiency, data quality, usability, and acceptance. Secondarily, to identify distinct user profiles.
In this special issue of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health, we bring together a collection of papers that reflects the evolution of HEARTS in the Americas and the growing experience accumulated by countries in improving the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through primary health care (PHC). Collectively, these contributions demonstrate that advancing PHC is no longer an aspirational goal but an increasingly achievable reality.
