Dian True, left, a senior project coordinator with the Wyoming Center on Aging
at the University of Wyoming, and Karen Funk, director of Washakie County Libraries,
pose with self-measured blood pressure monitoring kits at the Washakie County Library
in Worland. The public can check out the kits for a period up to two weeks. (Washakie
County Libraries Photo)
In support of American Heart Month, self-measured blood pressure monitoring kits are
now available for checkout at the Washakie County Libraries in Worland and Ten Sleep.
This is being done 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 Washakie County Libraries.
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 UW’s Cent$ible Nutrition Program and 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, Natrona, Park, Sublette and Sweetwater counties. The program
will be available in Carbon, Laramie, Lincoln and Sheridan counties by the end of
this month.
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 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 Dian True, 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.”
Washakie County Libraries are 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 Karen Funk, director of Washakie
County Libraries.
To learn more about Washakie County Libraries, go to www.washakiecountylibrary.com/.
For more information about WyCOA and its programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/wycoa/.
