SPOKANE, Wash. — The Regence Foundation announced today it awarded a $43,000 grant to Critical Access Hospital Network (CAHN) to develop new protocols for caring for rural patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) – among the leading causes of death for Washingtonians.

According to the Washington Department of Health, rural Washingtonians are more likely than urban residents to face physical and financial barriers to medical care, which compound the challenges of properly managing chronic diseases such as CVD and CHF.

“We commend CAHN for tackling head-on the barriers that can prevent rural patients from managing chronic diseases,” said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation board president. “Engaging providers in health care quality improvement and encouraging patients to take charge of their own health are critical steps to transforming our health care system.”

The goal of the CVD and CHF protocols is to improve patient outcomes and prevent avoidable hospitalizations among rural Eastern Washington residents. CAHN will work to encourage patients to engage in chronic disease self-management: eating right, exercising, not smoking and adhering to their medications.

The four hospitals participating in the chronic disease management project are Newport Community Hospital, Lincoln Hospital, Odessa Memorial Hospital and Garfield County Hospital.