Blood pressure hub added at community center

SALEM -- New blood pressure monitoring tools and resources are now available at the Salem Community Center thanks to the American Heart Association and the Salem Community Foundation.

"It's really important to make people aware that these resources are available because 50% of people with high blood pressure don't know. By placing this station in a publicly available space through the Salem Community Foundation we help to make people aware and connect them with resource to manage and treat blood pressure concerns," American Heart Association Community Impact Director for Northeast Ohio Gabbi Roszman said.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has installed a new comprehensive blood pressure hub at the community center funded through a $16,800 grant from the Community Foundation. The hub features an automated blood pressure monitor and educational resources to better understand their results and help connect them with local resource providers if they don't have a regular physician. American Heart Association Regional Senior Communications and Marketing Director Jess Smylie said that the automatic blood pressure has a hand rest to ensure people put their arm in correctly and that after clicking start will give a reading in 30 to 40 seconds. It will also give people a small printout of their reading that they can keep for reference. Smylie said that the station also includes free logs so that people can check and log their blood pressure over time to track blood pressure trends.

The grant will also cover the costs of developing a Certified Emergency Response Plan (CERP) for the Community Center. Roszman said that a CERP is a life-saving tool to help prepare a person or organization to respond in the event of a cardiac arrest on the premises. She explained that the CERP teaches includes both a set of written policies and procedures for staff to follow in the event of a cardiac emergency, and resources to conduct readiness drills like a tornado or fire drill.

The CERP is part of the AHA's Nation of Lifesavers Program, which works to spread knowledge of CPR and the application and use of automated electronic defibrillators through communities across the country. Rosz explained that in the event of a cardiac emergency, every second that passes without the victim receiving medical intervention reduces their chances of survival and that the survival rate for cardiac arrests which occur outside of the hospital is one in 10.

Rosz said that by spreading knowledge of these lifesaving skills and preparing people to jump into action immediately the program "aims to create a nationwide network of lifesavers."