Helping clients manage hypertension
Thanks to a partnership with the American Heart Association, our clients managing hypertension have a new tool: at-home blood pressure monitoring kits!
Noticing a problem
The project was initiated by Ambria Tapia Borbon, an RN at our Fairbanks Clinic. She’s currently working on her Masters in Nursing. In the spring, she will be doing a practicum focused on clinical prevention and population health. Over a few months of work, Ambria noticed that hypertension is a common problem for our clients who are 30-40+ years old. “Since a majority of our patient population is low-income or experiencing homelessness, many cannot afford BP (blood pressure) machines to monitor their BP at home. I learned about the AHA’s Adopt-A-Clinic program and thought AKBH would be perfect for this.“
Ambria reached out to the American Heart Association, and initiated the process for our clinics in Fairbanks and Anchorage to be “adopted”. Each clinic will have 50 portable blood pressure monitoring kits to loan out to clients. As part of the American Heart Association’s Target BP program, AKBH will have new tools to help clients reduce hypertension.
Ambria says these kits are portable, reliable and easy to use.
Continuing the partnership
Ambria and other staff are excited to continue the partnership. Our adult mental health residential programs plan to participate in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walks, using provided curriculum to focus on physical activity and heart health.
Many thanks to Ambria and the American Heart Association for providing this tool for our clients!
