On Saturday, LIVEBETTER team members hosted their 2nd annual community table at the Community Health Fair in New Haven, CT. The event took place at Goffe Street Park in New Haven and was organized by Yale’s Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI). It was a beautiful sunny day, with food, music, (Zumba!), and a chance to learn more about heart health.

The LIVEBETTER team is happy to welcome Nirvana Integrative Medicine/Cardiac Care and Vascular Medicine to our study! Nirvana Integrative Medicine is a patient-centered primary care practice in the Bronx. The practice uses a holistic approach to meet the needs of its diverse patients. The organization works closely with a cardiology practice, Cardiac Care & Vascular Medicine. Cardiac Care and Vascular Medicine is a private practice founded in 2002. Along with providing excellent cardiac care to its patients, the practice has been involved in many research studies that focus on improving heart health. Ilora Rafique, MD will serve as the principal investigator at the site. Dr. Rafique has a long history of community outreach and we look forward to working with her team!

From the beginning, the LIVEBETTER study team has known how important it is to listen to the patient! To help with this goal, LIVEBETTER’s Patient Advisory Group (PAG) was formed in 2022 and continues to provide valuable advice to our team. Now, we are thrilled to announce a new member of the PAG – Denine Baxter, who represents another important piece of the puzzle – that of the family caregiver. Click here to learn more about Denine’s journey and her thoughts on the challenges of treating older adults with heart disease. We are very grateful for her help and look forward to learning more about what matters most to family and friends who support our study participants.

On Saturday, Dr. Luis More Verde and Mary Geda hosted a LIVEBETTER community table to connect residents of Greater New Haven with health education and services. The beautiful weather, activities, giveaways, music and food attracted attention. Dr. More connected with dozens of people in the community, monitored their blood pressure, and talked to them about the importance of heart health. Ms. Geda shared a log for people to use at home to monitor their blood pressure. Dr More stated, “My favorite part of the event was seeing your community members enjoy a good time with each other!”

On May 10, 2023, the first participant was enrolled in the LIVEBETTER trial at Yale University. This trial will follow 500 older adults over the next four years to learn more about their quality of life and outcomes on Beta Blockers and Calcium Channel Blockers.

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Inova Medical Group, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente have been approved for a $7 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to compare standard medical treatments (Beta Blockers or Calcium Channel Blockers) for coronary artery disease to determine which leads to better outcomes and quality of life in older adults.