QUECHEE — Five Upper Valley libraries have joined the American Heart Association and will loan blood pressure cuffs to patrons to help them track their blood pressure.
The Bradford (Vt.) Public Library, the Etna and Howe libraries in Hanover and Hartford’s Quechee Public Library and Wilder Club & Library, joined the program this fall, according to a news release from the Northern New England branch of the national nonprofit organization.
Blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease, which is the Upper Valley’s leading cause of death, Brian Shankey, executive director for the American Heart Association in Northern New England, said in the release.
“Since high blood pressure often has no symptoms, there are very likely many people in our area with undiagnosed high blood pressure,” Shankey said.
Along with the cuffs themselves, libraries will provide information about how to use them. Some will also set up blood pressure stations so that patrons can check their blood pressure at the library instead of doing so at home.
“At their core, libraries are information hubs,” Michaela Lavelle, director of the Quechee/Wilder Libraries, said in the release. “While books are a major part of that, community members can find an expansive assortment of information tools in the library at their disposal, including, now, blood pressure cuffs.”