DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — Across Door County, libraries are becoming much more than a place to check out books.
- The blood pressure kits include a cuff and printed materials on how to monitor your blood pressure
- Sturgeon Bay Library Director Dominic Frandrup explains how the equipment will benefit the community
- Neighbors describe how they’ve been impacted by heart health issues and why this resource matters
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
All eight branches of the Door County Library System will soon offer blood pressure kits available for checkout, as part of a new program called Libraries With Heart.
Check out the new blood pressure kits below:
Sturgeon Bay Library director Dominic Frandrup says the kits will give neighbors of all ages easy access to important health resources.
"I happen to know a couple people personally that were 40 to 50 years old and they have suffered strokes as well, so it's not just for the people that are a little bit older," Dominic Frandrup said.
The blood pressure monitoring station complete with take-home kits is part of a partnership with the American Heart Association.
"Typically, you go in what, once a year for your annual physical? So hopefully this will give people an opportunity to check things," Frandrup said.
Door County resident Linda Bliss says she has a blood pressure monitor at home, but having the option to check it while out in the community is important.
Linda says her husband Mark suffered a heart attack while playing pickleball at Sunset Park a few years ago.
"Just doing it at the library when I'm there to double-check that mine is correct because a lot of people don't realize your blood pressure cuff doesn't always stay accurate over the years."
For fellow resident Mark Honold—who once had high blood pressure—staying on top of his health is important.
"When I had high blood pressure at one time, I denied it for a long time because I didn't feel badly," Mark Honold said.
Mark has since made a full recovery, but the experience was a wake-up call.
"Knowing that you can check out blood pressure and go home for two weeks and monitor it will really tell you, you are in great health or maybe you need to check into something."
Sturgeon Bay's library recently received its blood pressure kit and is in the process of setting it up. Starting in mid-July, you’ll find it on a special shelf here in the library. If it’s not there, just ask the staff and they’ll help you check if it’s available.
