Free blood pressure monitors for LIers

Stroke is a formidable cause of disability and death, particularly in minority communities, prompting a Long Island institute to help by literally giving people a tool for prevention.

The first 75 to 100 people who attend a community outreach program Thursday at Nassau University Medical Center will receive a free blood-pressure monitor. The program is sponsored by the American Society of Hypertension and NUMC's Institute for Health Equity.

The screening will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in the auditorium at the Nassau University Medical Center.

All attendees at the East Meadow hospital will receive free glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings. Anyone, regardless of ethnicity, is welcome to attend. The free monitors are being donated by their manufacturers: Omron Corp. and HoMedics Inc.

"Our target audience is seniors," said Dr. Aloysius Cuyjet, a NUMC senior vice president and chief health equity officer. "After the screening, each attendee will have an individualized consultation. This is very important because we want to go over the numbers to help them learn what they mean."

The emphasis will be on stroke prevention, Cuyjet said. Controlling blood pressure is vital as it's a risk factor that can be modified through diet, exercise and weight loss, he said.

Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability, according to the National Stroke Association.

Black adults are 50 percent more likely to have a stroke than whites, and black men are 70 percent more likely to die from it, data from the American Stroke Association show. Cuyjet cited higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and uncontrolled cholesterol among African-Americans.

The stroke association estimates 30 percent of Hispanic adults have diabetes, and possibly as many as half are unaware of it.