On Valentine’s Day, Mesa College invited the American Heart Association to ensure students had healthy hearts.
The American Heart Association collaborated with Student Health Services to provide free blood pressure screenings and blood pressure appraisal on Valentine’s Day. A blood pressure screening test checks how forcefully one’s blood pushes against the artery walls, while a blood pressure appraisal is the process of measuring and assessing an individual’s blood pressure levels.
Blood pressure screenings are usually done using a device called a sphygmomanometer. The cuff is wrapped snugly around the upper arm of the patient and is inflated to temporarily stop the blood flow. As the cuff deflates, a healthcare provider listens to the pulse using a stethoscope and notes the pressure on a gauge. They will record two numbers: the highest pressure that the heart beats (systolic) and the lowest pressure when the heart rests (diastolic).
Blood pressure screenings can help identify a variety of illnesses including hypertension (high blood pressure), hypotension (low blood pressure), strokes, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease.
When attending the “Love your Heart” event, they were able to speak with Suzanne Khambata, the director of Student Health Services and a family nurse practitioner. Director Khambata explained that after individuals get their blood pressure results, there are two doctors at Student Health Services, Kennedy Carrothers and Laura Milligan, who go over the results with each student.
The doctors explained ways to modify one’s diet, weight, and lifestyle to ensure a healthy heart. Additionally, there were two booths set up to talk about mental health and stress reduction. After seeing all the information provided, students were asked to take a survey and then given a free healthy lunch.
When asking Khambata her thoughts on hypertension, she said that “high blood pressure is a silent killer in this age group.”
Khambata expressed her hopes that after learning more about hypertension, students will go on to share this information with their friends and family. She encouraged students to take advantage of Student Health Services, which has a full functional clinic that offers a variety of support options for students’ mental and physical health. These include physical exams, vaccinations, and mental health counseling.
