The Library Receives grant funding to add blood pressure cuffs to our collection.

The Sioux Center Public Library added a new item to its collection: blood pressure cuffs. The library received the “Libraries with Heart” grant through the American Heart Association to fund the addition. The American Heart Association paired up with libraries through the grant to bring more awareness to the public about heart health and blood pressure.

According to the AHA, High blood pressure is a leading cause of both heart disease and stroke. It’s sometimes referred to as the “silent killer” because it can damage a person’s health without showing any other symptoms.

The library has 6 blood pressure kits available for checkout, and one reserved for in library use. Kari Ringelberg, Adult Programmer at the library is excited for the community health benefits the library can offer through this addition.

“People can easily get something like this, use it at home, especially if the doctor is prescribing them to watch their blood pressure for a couple weeks,” Ringelberg said. “It’s easily accessible for people and they don’t have to worry about the cost.”

The kits are located in the non-fiction section, by the medical books, and include an informational booklet about how to use the cuffs, and the advantages of measuring your blood pressure. The cuffs come in multiple sizes and are Bluetooth accessible so patrons can access their blood pressure data through online applications.

The library is working with local health organizations like Promise Community Health Center, and Community Health Partners to make sure patrons are aware that these items are available to them and know how to use them properly.

“Especially in areas like ours where we have a large Hispanic population, they tend to have that type of higher blood pressure, heart issues, that kind of thing,” Ringelberg said.

Representatives from Promise will attend the sessions of the English classes offered at the library to present about the benefits of measuring blood pressure and advertise the cuffs that are now available at the library.

The informational booklets in the cuff kits are in both Spanish and English, with plans to add a Ukrainian translation.

“We’re trying to meet a lot of different needs in the community,” Ringelberg said. “We’re adding health things that hopefully the community can really use.”