To celebrate American Heart Health Month, Newtown Health District and Newtown Community Center are teaming up to offer free blood pressure checks. There have already been two free blood pressure screenings, and the last is Monday, February 23, 9:30-11:30 am. There are no appointments necessary — this is a drop-in event for all ages.

Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert said, “Heart health has been our drum beat for years. We know heart disease is the number one killer and we know if we take steps to improve our heart health, the rewards have an amazing ripple effect — better overall health [such as] potential prevention of diabetes, obesity, perhaps even cancer.” Culbert added, “We emphasize ‘Knowing Your Numbers,’ and an important number in that realm is blood pressure. Blood pressure monitoring is critically important because high blood pressure often has no symptoms, but can lead to heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.”

High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems. According to American Heart Association, high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke, heart failure, heart disease, kidney disease or failure, vision loss, sexual dysfunction, or atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries. Community Health Nurse Joan Santucci, LPN, encouraged residents to come out and “know your numbers.” It is a simple, nonivasive way to monitor heart health.