On March 17th, 28th, and April 4th Kappa Epsilon held outreach events for blood pressure screenings in MacActivities. Kappa Epsilon is one of the professional pharmacy fraternities in the Raabe College of Pharmacy. Maria Nguyen, a P3 and professional projects chair for Kappa Epsilon organized the events on campus for students and faculty to get their blood pressure checked by pharmacy students. Pharmacy students at the events are P4s and P5s that are getting outreach hours by providing this service. On March 28th, one student, P5 Lindsay Holbrook, was there to take blood pressures. She said she’s done about 20 hours of Blood pressure screening events and likely measured about 50 peoples blood pressure. Other students at the future screening will also be experienced and ready to take blood pressures.
When asked how important blood pressure screenings are, Lindsay said getting a blood pressure can “help make sure your heart is healthy”. Nathan Langston, P5, added that “high blood pressure can cause life threatening serious issues down the line” such as a stroke or a heart attack. To help avoid these issues, keeping your blood pressure in check can make a big difference.
While the students taking the blood pressures can’t diagnose high blood pressure, they may be able to offer some advice, depending on how high the reading is. They may recommend lifestyle changes, such as dietary changes, and exercise or recommend a visit to a physician or other health care provider for evaluation.
The next blood pressure screening is April 21st 11-3pm.