HCA Midwest Health, the region’s premier healthcare system and the American Heart Association, along with Kansas City Public Libraries are making blood pressure cuffs and Educational resources available to all Kansas City Public Library members. Library card holders can checkout Libraries with Heart Kits using their library cards. Individuals who visit any of the Kansas City Missouri public library branches will have the opportunity to visit a “Libraries with Heart” station where they can check their blood pressure, learn about risk factors and prevention, and, if needed, be connected to healthcare providers.
In addition, self-monitoring blood pressure kits will be available to check out and will include all the same resources that can be found at the stations. We will be working with the libraries to incorporate educational programming to support this work.
The American Heart Association’s Getting to the Heart of Stroke initiative™, developed in conjunction with and supported by HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation, includes a specific focus in Kansas City to help address local barriers to health equity and improve health outcomes through blood pressure awareness.
Knowledge and management of heart-related risk factors and conditions are critical in reducing the likelihood of and improving outcomes of stroke, especially across populations with health disparities. This powerful connection between heart and brain health is the target of Getting to the Heart of Stroke, a new initiative between the American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, with support and collaboration from HCA Midwest Health, one of the leading health care providers. According to the American Heart Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.
More information about the "Libraries With Heart" program can be found at the American Heart Association website.