Merck Foundation awards $1.75M to boost community-driven heart health care across Georgia

The Merck Foundation has announced a $1.75M, five-year grant to the Georgia Health Policy Center at Georgia State University in Atlanta to expand a community-based heart health initiative. The grant supports the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement, a coordinated care model pairing patients with community health workers to address medical and social needs. The multiyear award will help scale the program statewide. The program has already improved blood pressure in 68% of participants, reduced emergency room visits by 39%, and connected 91% of food-insecure patients to nutrition support.