Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Chronic Disease Prevention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Norwalk health department expands "Know Your Numbers" screenings and launches public blood-pressure stations and kit lending
Summary
Kelly Tomlinson described Norwalk’s Heart Month activities, including four Know Your Numbers screenings that reached 51 participants, new self-monitoring blood-pressure stations at public sites and a library blood-pressure kit lending program.
Kelly Tomlinson, health educator for the Norwalk Health Department, reported on Heart Month activities at the Board of Health meeting on Feb. 25, 2025, highlighting community health screenings, new self-monitoring stations and a blood-pressure kit lending program with the public library.
Tomlinson said the department ran four Know Your Numbers screening events during February and screened 51 participants to date. Drawing on prior-year results, she reported common findings across community screenings: about 63% of screening participants had elevated blood pressure readings, about 37% had elevated A1c blood-sugar results, roughly 19% reported no insurance and nearly 24% reported no medical home. About 77% of participants with elevated readings were referred to follow-up care or services.
Tomlinson described two Heart Month launches supported by the American Heart Association: self-monitoring blood-pressure stations placed at the Norwalk Senior Center, the regional YMCA, Elder House and Person to Person, plus a telehealth-enabled station at the Norwalk Public Library; and a blood-pressure kit lending program that allows residents to check out automated cuffs from both library branches for two-week periods. Each station and kit includes multilingual instructions, a wallet-size tracker to record readings over time, and educational materials about what the numbers mean and how to seek follow-up care.
Tomlinson said the department partners with the Community Resource Hub and Norwalk Community Health Center for referrals and that NUValence Health (Nuvance Health) provided a small award to help obtain supplies. The department plans to follow up with site partners after a trial month to adjust instructions and placement for better public use.
Tomlinson also noted the department’s ongoing screening partnerships with the library and Open Doors and said clinical teams continue to offer rapid HIV testing and other preventive services in community settings. The heart-health programs are intended to sustain year-round access to basic chronic-disease screening and referrals.
The presentation drew a volunteer question about whether elevated blood-pressure readings were mostly known diagnoses or newly discovered; Tomlinson said the screenings showed a mix: many participants knew they had elevated readings and were in care, while a subset were newly identified and referred for follow-up.
