The Greenfield Public Library and the Montague Public Libraries have launched an American Heart Association program that aims to bring vital health resources into trusted community spaces while further expanding what patrons can access with a library card.
Robin Neipp, a local public health nurse, recently visited both libraries to show staff members how to use the equipment in the American Heart Association lending kits that are now available to check out at each library. Each kit contains a heart rate monitor and a blood pressure cuff, allowing residents to track their numbers at home.
Neipp recently visited the Greenfield Public Library and Carnegie Public Library in Turners Falls to help familiarize the staff with the blood pressure cuffs and explain the American Heart Association program. She mentioned she wanted to stress to staff members that they are not responsible for conducting any clinical work.
“And the staffs were great at both libraries,” Neipp said. “It’s amazing what our libraries are doing for our communities.”
The lending kits include educational materials about how to take one’s own blood pressure at home, what those numbers mean, and a log for recording numbers.
Neipp visited the Greenfield Public Library on Thursday. Assistant Library Director Lisa Prolman said the kits are now available in the building’s Library of Things, a collection of non-traditional items that can be borrowed with a library card.
“And it’s always a good idea for us to at least have a vague idea of how said things work,” she said.
Caitlin Kelley, director of the Montague Public Libraries, said her staff members were very receptive to the training they received on Friday morning.
“It was great,” Kelley said, adding that Neipp stressed to the staff “the importance of adults taking their blood pressure with some regularity.”
Kelley said the American Heart Association makes it incredibly easy for library staff members to get the training, calling it “a total no-brainer” to opt for it. Montague Public Libraries now has four standard-size blood pressure cuffs and two extra-large ones, which will be distributed to the town’s three libraries: Carnegie Public Library in Turners Falls, the Montague Center Library and the Millers Falls Library.
All materials are available in English and Spanish. Assistance with other languages and additional information is available at heart.org.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it does not cause any noticeable symptoms but can gradually damage blood vessels and organs. Untreated hypertension can significantly increase the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other serious health problems. Early detection can be treated with lifestyle modifications and/or medications, if needed.
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of all American adults have high blood pressure, and many don’t even know it.