The Baltimore metropolitan area’s first American Heart Association blood pressure monitoring kiosk was unveiled on Feb. 17 at the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center.
The dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was sponsored by the AHA of Greater Maryland, LifeBridge Health and the JCC of Greater Baltimore.
Nearly half of American adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, primarily high blood pressure, according to the AHA’s latest annual update of statistics released on Jan. 31. Uncontrolled high blood pressure raises the risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.
The newly installed blood pressure kiosk will make monitoring blood pressure simple and accessible for JCC members. The ceremony included guidance to community members on how to use the kiosk and register for the AHA’s online blood pressure control tracker called “Check. Change. Control.”
“Placing this kiosk at the JCC makes blood pressure monitoring simple for members of our community,” said AHA of Greater Maryland Executive Director Tracy Brazelton. “Blood pressure is an extremely important number for people to know in order to gain control of their health. Knowing your blood pressure and utilizing online AHA resources like the Check. Change. Control. app puts you in control of managing your blood pressure.”
Said LifeBridge Health President and CEO Neil Meltzer: “LifeBridge Health is proud to support this kiosk as a part of our #StrongerHearts initiative with the American Heart Association of Greater Maryland. We think about the fact that almost half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure; these are our family members, friends and neighbors. Bringing together our partners from the American Heart Association and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore, we come together to build a community of health by providing individuals with the tools they need to understand their risk factors and information they can use to improve their health.”
For information about controlling high blood pressure and other healthy living
tips, visit heart.org.