Johnston, Iowa — The Iowa chapter of the American Heart Association is launching a pilot program that aims to help a growing number of Iowans overcome the risks of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, which afflicts almost half of us.
Wesley Franklin, the agency’s community impact director, says “Check. Change. Control.” will initially focus on 250 central Iowans to better manage their high blood pressure before the program eventually goes statewide.
The pilot program will run four months and be operated out of hospitals and community care centers in Des Moines, West Des Moines and Stuart.
The goal is to help Iowans help themselves to tackle what’s known as “the silent killer,” as high blood pressure is hard to spot and if left untreated, can lead to a heart attack, stroke and other serious health conditions. Franklin says the situation in Iowa is worsening.
He notes, many of the 103-million people in the U.S. who have high blood pressure are unaware. Central Iowans who are interested in participating in the program can contact Franklin at wesley.franklin@heart.org. For more information on high blood pressure you can visit American Heart Association.
