By making blood pressure cuffs as easily accessible as visiting your local library, and teaching people how to use them, this initiative is a great tool in helping people identify possible issues before an emergency occurs.
Richard J. Powell, MDPublic libraries have always been an important community resource, and a new program in New Hampshire is letting libraries add one more important asset to their lending opportunities: blood pressure cuffs.
High blood pressure is often referred to as “the silent killer.” Since it frequently has no symptoms, many people don’t know they have it. Five local libraries recently joined the Dartmouth Health and the American Heart Association’s New Hampshire chapter to make it easier for their patrons to keep track of their blood pressure to assess their risk of a heart attack or stroke.
“Dartmouth Health and the American Heart Association share the goal of empowering everyone to take good care of their cardiovascular health primarily through preventative means,” said Richard J. Powell, MD, director of Dartmouth Health’s Heart and Vascular Center. “By making blood pressure cuffs as easily accessible as visiting your local library, and teaching people how to use them, this initiative is a great tool in helping people identify possible issues before an emergency occurs.”
All of the following libraries will have blood pressure cuffs for library patrons to borrow to track their own blood pressure. These are helpful for people to see their blood pressure over a period of a week or two, especially if their doctor wants numbers from a range of days to confirm a diagnosis, or to monitor the effects of a medication or a lifestyle change. Most of the libraries will also have on-site stations where patrons can measure their blood pressure right at the library.
- Maxfield Public Library (Loudon)
- Hooksett Library
- Allenstown Public Library
- Derry Public Library (available in June)
- Merrimack Public Library
Libraries will have educational materials to share with patrons so they can learn more about blood pressure, and how to take their own blood pressure with these user-friendly cuffs. Please check with your local library to find out which services they offer.
“We are excited to work with Dartmouth Health to share the American Heart Association’s blood pressure education and resources to libraries,” said Rosemary Hendrickx, the Association’s development director in New Hampshire. “Blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease which is New Hampshire’s leading cause of death. Since high blood pressure often has no symptoms, there are very likely many people in our state with undiagnosed high blood pressure. Knowledge is power, and we’re so glad these local libraries have joined this initiative that will help prevent death and disability from both heart disease and stroke.”
Special screenings days will also be held where clinical staff from the Heart and Vascular Center – through its Community Awareness Research and Education (CARES) program – will conduct screenings, offer education, and provide referrals for patrons with high blood pressure. These screening days will be announced once they are scheduled.
"We wanted to participate in the Libraries with Heart Program because it will help our patrons access resources that will help them with their cardiovascular health,” said Christina Finemore, Maxfield Public Library’s director. “We are always trying to find new ways to engage our patrons while connecting them to tools that will lead to a healthy lifestyle."
Additional Resources:
- Understanding Blood Pressure Readings: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
- How to Accurately Measure Blood Pressure at Home: https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/05/22/how-to-accurately-measure-blood-pressure-at-home
- Health Threats from High Blood Pressure: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/health-threats-from-high-blood-pressure
About Dartmouth Health
Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene, Claremont and New London, NH, and Windsor and Bennington, VT; Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.