From left, Maria Wenzel, director of the Carbon County Library System; Kevin Franke,
a senior project coordinator with the Wyoming Center on Aging at the University of
Wyoming; and Krista Steiner, an office associate with UW Extension, display blood
pressure monitoring kits. The kits are now available at libraries in Rawlins, Saratoga,
Hanna, Medicine Bow, Elk Mountain, Sinclair, Baggs and Encampment. The public can
check out the kits for a period up to two weeks. (Missi White Photo)
Self-measured blood pressure monitoring kits are now available for checkout at libraries
in Rawlins, Saratoga, Hanna, Medicine Bow, Elk Mountain, Sinclair, Baggs and Encampment
through a collaborative pilot project among the Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA) at
the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention
Program and the Carbon County Library System.
The kits, available in both English and Spanish, include an automated home blood pressure
cuff; blood pressure logbooks; educational materials from the American Heart Association;
information on what blood pressure is; and ideas for healthy lifestyle changes. The
kits also include a resource directory to local community-based organizations and
referral resources to the Healthy U chronic disease self-management program.
The loan period is two weeks. Blood pressure kits will be automatically renewed, up
to two times, if there are no holds on the item. This program also is currently available
to people in Albany, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater
and Washakie counties, with plans to be in all 23 counties by the end of June.
Nearly half of adults in the United States -- 47 percent, or 116 million -- have high
blood pressure, also known as hypertension, or are taking medication for hypertension,
and 24 percent with hypertension have their condition under control, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Wyoming, 30.7 percent of adults
have been told that they have high blood pressure, according to the Wyoming Department
of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program.
While self-measurement of blood pressure is not a substitute for regular visits to
primary care physicians, it is a way for individuals to see and track their numbers,
giving them more information that can be communicated to their doctors.
“Information is power and, the more information a patient and their doctor have, the
better the treatment plan,” says Kevin Franke, a senior project coordinator with WyCOA.
“Better treatment plans lead to better overall health. That’s the goal of this project
-- to work to improve the health of our communities.”
The Carbon County Library System is committed to building and supporting strong, healthy
communities. This project provides a unique opportunity to offer the community more
information about self-monitored blood pressure and its important role in health.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Wyoming Department of Health and WyCOA to bring
these much-needed resources to the community,” says Maria Wenzel, director of the
Carbon County Library System.
For those patrons who are looking to take the next step in their health journey, Carbon
County UW Extension is offering the Healthy Heart Ambassador Self-Monitored Blood
Pressure Program. The purpose of the program is to develop the habit of routinely
self-monitoring patrons’ blood pressure.
The program includes support from a “Healthy Heart ambassador” who will train on the
proper technique for taking the patrons’ own blood pressure readings; two consultations
with the ambassador each month when the patrons’ blood pressure will be taken; a monthly
nutrition education seminar highlighting how food is related to blood pressure management;
and monitoring and tracking each patron’s blood pressure at least two times per month.
To learn more about the Carbon County Library System, go to www.carbonlibraries.org/.
To learn more about WyCOA and its programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/wycoa/.
To learn more about the Healthy Heart Ambassador Self-Monitored Blood Pressure Program,
call Krista Steiner at (307) 328-2642 or email ksteine5@uwyo.edu.
