Share Your Story and Enter to Win by May 2, 2012! Also Follow Our Twitter Handle (#HealthIT4UBP)

One in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure (a.k.a., “hypertension”) – Do You? Many people who have high blood pressure don’t know it, which is why it’s often referred to as the “silent killer.” High blood pressure damages the brain, heart, eyes, and kidneys while causing no symptoms.  Fortunately, there are steps that each of us can take to prevent or manage high blood pressure, and technology can help!

Beat Down Blood Pressure Video Contest

To raise awareness about this silent killer and crowd source inspirational stories about how people are using consumer e-health tools and other health IT to partner with their physician to manage this disease, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in partnership with Million Hearts, an HHS initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes in five years, and the American Heart Association announce announce the Beat Down Blood Pressure Video Challenge (#HealthIT4UBP).

This is the second in a series of 2012 health IT video contests through which members of the public are incentivized to create a short, but impactful video sharing how they use health IT or consumer e-health tools to manage high blood pressure. This contest features cash prizes for the best patient/consumer stories that demonstrate use of consumer e-health tools to:

• Routinely monitor blood pressure,
• Take medication as prescribed, and/or
• Make lifestyle changes that reduce risks and enhance heart health.

There are also cash prizes for the best videos submitted by a health care provider/professional to share how they are using electronic health records (EHRs) and other health IT to manage their patients’ hypertension. Cash prizes of $1000 will be awarded to winners in several categories, with a $500 prize for the popular choice award.

Enter the Video Contest

Entrants won’t need highly specialized equipment—a standard video recorder or phone with a video function will work. The deadline to enter the contest is May 2, 2012. Winning videos will be announced in mid-May, which is High Blood Pressure Awareness Month.

We encourage the public and health care professionals to enter the video contest and spread the word about it to others using the Twitter hashtag #HealthIT4UBP. You have an opportunity to share your story to help motivate and inspire others to use technology to make improvements in their health. ONC’s one-stop shop for consumer information on health IT—HealthIT.gov—already features several compelling stories about how health IT has helped people and their health care providers save lives, beat cancer, and weather a natural disaster. The video challenge series is a chance for you to add your story to the mix (and win cash prizes).

Learn More About the Video Contest

To learn more about this video contest and others, please visit: http://BloodPressure.challenge.gov. All challenges will be featured on http://www.challenge.gov. The video challenge series will run throughout 2012.

About ONC’s Consumer e-Health Program

This video contest is one of many ways that ONC’s new Consumer e-Health Program is working to promote patient and family engagement in health through technology. The Consumer eHealth Program is helping to improve consumer access to their electronic health information; spur innovation to develop new ways to make that information actionable; and shift attitudes so people feel comfortable using new tools and health information to be better partners with their health care providers in their health and health care.