HERE: Health Empowerment and Resources After Pregnancy

Summary

This study will examine whether a patient navigation program can help improve long-term heart health among people who experienced high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Conditions such as preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. However, many patients do not receive timely follow-up care after pregnancy, especially once routine postpartum care ends.

about 60 participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive standard care, which includes clinician-directed counseling about cardiovascular risk and recommendations for follow-up care. The other group will receive support from a patient navigator in addition to standard care. Patient navigators, also known as Community Wellness Advocates (CWAs), are trained staff who help patients connect with health services, understand their health risks, and navigate the healthcare system.

The main goals of the study are to determine whether this navigation program is practical to implement and acceptable to patients and healthcare providers. Researchers will also examine whether the program improves follow-up with primary care, cardiovascular risk assessment, and engagement in heart-healthy behaviors. Information will be collected from medical records, surveys, and interviews with participants and healthcare staff. Participants will be followed for one year

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Health

Interventions

OTHER

Longitudinal patient navigation

A Community Wellness Advocate (CWA) will provide longitudinal patient navigation-proactive check-ins, assistance with appointment attendance scheduling and planning, identification of barriers to care, follow-up after missed appointments, mental health and social needs screening, and connections to appropriate resources. The CWA will serve as a consistent point of contact throughout the postpartum year.

OTHER

Standard care

Standard care includes education on postpartum hypertension, a blood pressure cuff for self-monitoring, and assistance with scheduling follow-up care, including referral to a postpartum bridge clinic in General Internal Medicine.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• Boston Medical Center

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mara Murray Horwitz, MD, MPH · Boston Medical Center, General Internal Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

23 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-09-30

Primary Completion

2028-09-30

Completion

2028-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations