Miss Wyoming touts importance of checking blood pressure

Anna-Claire Musick didn’t take long to make an impact as an advocate for the American Heart Association – and she did it with a splash.

Anna-Claire, the newly-crowned Miss Wyoming, turned out at Cheyenne Frontier Days in July and helped fellow Wyomingites check their blood pressure. Little did she know she would be taking the blood pressure of Gov. Mark Gordon.

The American Heart Association collaborated with Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the University of Wyoming Center on Aging, and the Wyoming Department of Health to launch a “Tough Enough to Know Your Numbers” Campaign. We offered blood pressure screenings and encouraged Wyoming residents to check out a blood pressure cuff at their local library when they get back home.

Known as self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) kits, they are now available for checkout through the Wyoming County Library System. The kits are available in English and Spanish and include the following: a clinically validated, automated, home blood pressure cuff, blood pressure logbooks, educational materials from the American Heart Association including “How to Measure Your Blood Pressure at Home” infographics, information on what blood pressure is, and ideas for healthy lifestyle changes.

The kits also include a resource directory to local community-based organizations and referral resources to the Healthy U chronic disease self-management program. SMBP Library Kits are available in every county in Wyoming.

Nationally, nearly half of adults in the United States (47%, or 116 million) have hypertension, or are taking medication for hypertension, and only about 1 in 4 adults (24%) with hypertension have their condition under control. Nearly one-third (30.7%) of Wyoming adults have been told by a health professional that they have high blood pressure.

Anna-Claire knows it’s important to know your numbers and is joining us in encouraging everyone, everywhere to check their blood pressure.