DAYTON — The American Heart Association (AHA) has announced a new, two-year sponsorship agreement with Mercy Health, which will help enhance the lives throughout the state of Ohio.

By choosing to collaborate with the American Heart Association, Mercy Health has made a commitment to work throughout the state to maximize health impact by delivering simple to understand advice, tools and information, all grounded in behavioral science, to its patients, their families and local residents.

Healthy for Good is the American Heart Association’s movement designed to inspire lasting changes in health and life, taken one step at a time. Mercy Health will be working with the AHA to improve health in the communities it serves, including Cincinnati, Lima, Lorain, Springfield, Toledo, Youngstown and Paducah, Kentucky, where approximately 42 percent of the population is impacted by hypertension. The two organizations will focus on the prevention of and education about high blood pressure and how this “silent killer” affects long term cardiovascular health.

Through Check.Change.Control (CCC), the AHA’s evidence-based high blood pressure management program, Mercy Health will encourage patients to take ownership of their health and wellbeing. The program incorporates self-monitoring and online tracking to improve outcomes in not only hypertension management, but also physical activity and weight reduction.

In addition to helping to manage the CCC program, Mercy Health will be involved in local events, such as Heart Walks, Go Red for Women events and Heart Balls as a top-level sponsor.

For more information about Check. Change. Control. and high blood pressure, log on to www.heart.org/checkchangecontrol.