From left, Kaitlin Macke, Children’s Services librarian; Sherry Alberson, Adult
Services librarian; Brenda Mahoney-Ayres, director of the Weston County Library System;
and Lisa Thomas, Circulation Services librarian, pose with blood pressure kits at
the Weston County Library in Newcastle. The kits are now available in Newcastle and
at the Upton Branch Library. The public can check out the kits for a period up to
two weeks. (Dian True Photo)
Self-measured blood pressure monitoring kits are now available for checkout at the
libraries in Newcastle and Upton. The kits are offered 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 Weston 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 can be renewed, up to two times,
if there are no holds on the item. This program also is currently available to residents
in Albany, Carbon, Crook, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater
and Washakie counties with plans to be in all 23 counties by the end of June 2023.
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
a primary care physician, it is a way for individuals to see and track their numbers,
giving individuals 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.”
The Weston 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 excited to partner with the Wyoming Department of Health and WyCOA to bring
these much-needed resources to the community,” says Brenda Mahoney-Ayres, director
of the Weston County Library System.
To learn more about the Weston County Library System, go to www.westongov.com/library/.
To learn more about WyCOA and its programs, go to www.uwyo.edu/wycoa/.
