A new program is giving Southern Tier residents a chance to help control a silent killer.
The American Heart Association is now recruiting participants for the Check It! Challenge. The challenge is a community-wide program encouraging people to check, change, and control their blood pressure. The program is sponsored by UHS.
The Check It! Challenge is based on the American Heart Association’s Check. Change. Control. program, which is an evidence-based hypertension management program empowering participants to take ownership of their health using blood-pressure self-monitoring. The program incorporates the concepts of remote monitoring and online tracking as key features to hypertension management.
“In Broome County alone, about 28% of adults have diagnosed high blood pressure. That’s nearly 45,000 people,” said John Carrigg, president and CEO of UHS. “If we can move the needle on these numbers and help everyone control their blood pressure, we can make a real difference in making our community healthier.”
The program is open to individuals, employers or community organizations. The program runs from February (American Heart Month) through May (American Stroke Month). Each month features educational topics including how to manage blood pressure, healthy eating habits, physical activity and stress reduction, and knowing the signs of heart attack and stroke.
Participants are asked to take their blood pressure at least twice a month during the program. Blood pressure checks can be performed with at-home cuffs, at a public screening event, at a doctor’s office or at blood pressure kiosks. Kiosks can be found at most pharmacies and grocery stores.
An online tool to keep track of blood pressure numbers is available at www.ccctracker.com/uhs. Individuals should use the campaign code UHSBP. Employers and organizations interesting in joining should contact Community Impact Director Lisa Neff at Lisa.Neff@heart.org.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as a silent killer. It typically has no symptoms, but can lead to deadly health consequences such as heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. About half of all Americans have high blood pressure, but many are unaware.
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