The Free Library now offers blood pressure monitoring cuffs for loan at select neighborhood library locations!

High blood pressure is known as hypertension. It can cause serious issues in your health, such as vision loss, stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and more. When you continuously have high blood pressure, it starts to damage your heart and blood vessels, making it known as the “silent killer."

Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, affecting 33% of Philadelphians. There is no cure, but daily monitoring can help alert any patterns or changes in your blood pressure.

The blood pressure monitoring cuff loans are part of a pilot program available at Falls of Schuylkill Library, McPherson Square Library, Philadelphia City Institute, and South Philadelphia Library locations in collaboration with the American Heart Association. Patrons can check out a device for 30 days and check their blood pressure at home daily. With each checkout, the patron is given a log sheet and an information packet for heart health management and healthier living tips. Each library will have a referral guide for local health centers available as well.

You can take these blood pressure readings to your healthcare provider and consult further on a course of action for continued monitoring and care.

Librarians are not nurses, but we do care for our community! This is another way for us to help equip the community with information for healthier living.