Nashua Focused on Preventing Heart Disease

Submitted by the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services:

Lamprey Health Care’s Nashua Center and the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services (DPHCS) are partnering to bring a national heart disease prevention program to the region. The Million Hearts Project is dedicated to preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. over the next 5 years.

Becoming familiar with and understanding how to maintain a healthy blood pressure is one of the major ways to prevent heart disease. DPHCS invites everyone to “Know Your Numbers”. Starting this Friday, February 7th, from 8:30 to 10:30am, they will begin offering free blood pressure screenings at their clinic, located at 18 Mulberry Street. Going forward, free blood pressure screenings will be open to the public every Tuesday, 1:30-3:30pm and every Friday, 8:30-10:30am.

In collaboration with DPHCS, Lamprey Health Care’s Nashua Center began implementing evidenced based strategies aimed at preventing heart disease in October, 2013. These strategies include improved identification of patients struggling to maintain their blood pressure, distribution of informational wallet cards to help patients track their blood pressure readings and engagement of non-traditional partners throughout the community to increase number of blood pressure screenings taking place.

The Greater Nashua Million Hearts project is joined by the city of Manchester Health Department and their local health center, the Manchester Community Health Center, to pilot this nationally recognized initiative in New Hampshire.  Funding for this work is provided by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), with guidance and support from with the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy & Practice at the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Every year, 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur in the United States.  Preventing or controlling heart disease risk factors, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and obesity can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by more than 80%. Certain risk factors, such as high blood pressure, can be present without symptoms and therefore it is important to know your risk and take control of your heart health. DPHCS’ Community Health Manager, Susan Myers, RN MEd is working with the public health nurses to prepare for this new initiative and proudly states, “I am so excited we can take part in this national program that seamlessly aligns public health and clinical health to improve heart disease prevention and control and ultimately promotes everyone to ‘Know Your Numbers’”.

For more information about the Greater Nashua Million Hearts project and the Blood Pressure Clinics, please contact the Melissa Whalen, Health Program Specialist at the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services at 589-4543. For more information about the strategies being implemented at Lamprey Health Care’s Nashua Center, please contact Angela Joyce, Million Hearts Program Coordinator at 883-1626.