RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — In a push to combat one of the nation's leading health crises, the YMCA of Greater Richmond has teamed up with the American Heart Association (AHA) to install new, free blood pressure monitoring kiosks at YMCA's across Central Virginia.
Each kiosk includes an automatic, adjustable blood pressure monitor and resources on blood pressure management. The initiative currently includes three kiosks at the Tuckahoe, Manchester and Petersburg branches, with plans to expand the program to every branch over the next 16 months.
With heart disease and high blood pressure being critical health concerns in Central Virginia, Rima Zabian, executive director of Advancing Whole Health at the Greater Richmond YMCA, said the partnership with the AHA was a no brainer.
"Heart disease leads to high blood pressure, leads to so many other illnesses that if we can catch this early on and be preventative, then we can catch it and then start to address it right away," Zabian said.
The new kiosks represent a significant upgrade, offering an easy way for thousands of community members to "know their numbers."
“You put your arm in, adjust, rest in the elbow position, and then you press the button on the top and it'll automatically begin to adjust to your arm," said Rob 'YB' Youngblood, Tuckahoe Family YMCA Board Member.
After each reading is complete, the monitor prints out a tracking sheet.
“They can track their progress, especially if they've overcome the hospitalization [and are] now focused on getting better," Youngblood said.
Youngblood, who has managed hypertension for years, understands the immediate impact of accessible monitoring.
"It's a game changer because it creates awareness," said Youngblood. "It'll expose more people to opportunities to elevate their health and support folks just like me who may or may be walking with a situation but may not be aware of what their numbers are.”
Each kiosk also includes information on blood pressure management in languages most relevant to the local YMCA community, and staff are available to guide people on next steps.
“For people that may not have a cuff at home or maybe, you know, walking with hypertension, it definitely helps them to be aware," Youngblood said.
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