UWs Center on Aging, Partners Collaborate to Offer Blood Pressure Kits for Checkout

Self-measured blood pressure monitoring kits are now available for checkout at the Albany County Public Library, thanks to a collaborative pilot project among the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA), the Wyoming Department of Health’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program and the Albany County Public Library.

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 of local community-based organizations and referral resources to the Cent$ible Nutrition Program and the Healthy U chronic disease self-management program.

The blood pressure kits are available for checkout at the Laramie library, the bookmobile in Laramie and the Centennial and Rock River branches. The loan period is three weeks. A kit will be automatically renewed, up to two times, if there is no hold on it.

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-measured blood pressure is not a substitute for regular visits to a primary care physician, 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 Maggie Kougl, a WyCOA senior project coordinator. “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 Albany County Public Library 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 Cassy Hunter, assistant director of the Albany County Public Library.

For more information about the Albany County Public Library, call (307) 721-2580, email info@acplwy.org or go to www.acplwy.org.

For more information about WyCOA, call (307) 766-2829, email wycoa@uwyo.edu or visit www.uwyo.edu/wycoa.