TABLE 2.

Summary of key lessons

Theme	Lesson
Secure political support	The critical role of the MoH and the local authorities to implement and sustain a comprehensive program such as HEARTS in the Americas. MoH and the public health local authorities have the primary responsibility to manage and finance primary health care.
Shift health care provider roles	A paradigm shift is needed to change lead provider of CVD/ hypertension programs from the very specialized, secondary level of care to primary health care. Advocating for legislative changes to move away from physician‐centered to person‐centered health care, as well as training the new generation of leaders and health care staff to carry forward new roles and responsibilities.
Systematize implementation strategies	Systematizing the methodology of engagement, pre‐implementation, implementation, sustainment, and institutionalization facilitates the provision of technical assistance to each country following its stage of development within the continuum of adoption of HEARTS.
Provide strong technical leadership	Strong technical leadership is fundamental to engage, advise, and accompany the process of adoption.
Understand local organizational structures	Deep understanding of the culture, organizational structures of the health systems is prerequisites to interacting with the MoH.
Recruit and retain field champions	Recruiting strong recognized leaders—and upcoming new leaders—in the field of cardiovascular health, and forming strong alliances with scientific societies has proven an important ingredient to success.
Cultivate technical leadership	Cultivating in‐country technical leadership, particularly from underrepresented backgrounds (eg, class, race/ethnic, sex), is as important as obtaining and sustaining political will.