When Carla Mitchell, a patient in Massachusetts, struggled to manage her blood pressure while juggling work and family, she got help from someone unexpected: a telehealth navigator. This community health worker helped her schedule doctor visits, learn to use video calling for appointments, and check her blood pressure at home with a special monitor. Within months, her numbers finally came down.
Mitchell's story reflects the findings of a major new study that could reshape how clinics reach patients who have been left behind by the healthcare system. Researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, working with Boston University and Boston Medical Center, found that a telehealth navigator program led to a stunning 31.4 percentage point increase in the likelihood of having controlled blood pressure among Black adults with hypertension.
The numbers matter because hypertension — or high blood pressure — is one of the leading drivers of heart disease, and Black Americans have long faced higher rates of the condition. Experts say this gap stems partly from longstanding inequities in access to quality care.
The program worked by placing community health workers directly inside federally qualified health centers, which are clinics that serve patients regardless of their ability to pay. These navigators helped patients with the practical parts of getting care: booking appointments, using telehealth apps, and monitoring their blood pressure at home with devices that sent readings straight to their care team.
"Telehealth navigators are community health workers, members from the patient's community who can help build trust, coordinate care and support patients in using digital health tools," said Megan Cole Brahim, Ph.D., MPH, a senior author of the study and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "They also help connect patients to social and behavioral services that can affect blood pressure."
The intervention was designed and carried out by Community Care Cooperative, a network of federally qualified health centers across Massachusetts. Researchers compared patients who enrolled in the program with similar patients at other clinics that did not offer it. Those who had navigator support were far more likely to get their blood pressure under control.
The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, adds to growing evidence that combining digital tools with human support can break down barriers for people who struggle to access traditional healthcare. Brahim noted, however, that scaling programs like this will require changes in policy, including payment for community health workers and remote monitoring services.
For communities that have historically been shut out of good healthcare, the findings offer a concrete path forward — one built on trust, technology, and people who understand their neighborhoods from the inside.