The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department has received a national award for its heart attack and stroke prevention program.

The health department’s program is one of 41 initiatives to receive the Model Practice Award at the 2017 annual conference of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

“This award puts Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department in special company with a select group of health departments that exemplify a forward-thinking, proactive approach toward protecting and promoting the health of communities nationwide,” said Laura Hanen, of NACCHO, in a news release.

The health department’s program, Integrating Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention into a Family Planning Clinic: An Innovative Million Hearts Project, focuses on identifying people at risk for heart attacks and stroke who likely have not been seen by a primary care provider, Director Dan Partridge said in the release.

In 2014, the health department began examining data about high blood pressure and tobacco use collected in its record system for patients who use family planning services. It found that in 20 percent of visits, clients had elevated blood pressure and that 25 percent of clients were smokers. As part of the program, patients with elevated blood pressure or tobacco use are counseled and then referred to primary care for further consultation and treatment as appropriate.