The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County and the Newtown Community Health Action Team are promoting heart healthy strategies in the community with the use of 100 free blood pressure monitoring kits. The kits will consist of a blood pressure cuff, a monthly pill box and calendars for tracking, among other materials; they will be offered to the first 100 black/African-American community members with hypertension living in or near the Newtown area who attend the kick-off event at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex on May 21 from 5-7 p.m. 

Each year, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases kill over 800,000 Americans. Improving health outcomes for priority populations is a key focus for the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County on the journey to enhance health equity.

In 2017, in Sarasota County, the crude hypertension death rate for the black population was 20.5 per 100,000 people vs. the White population at 16.9 per 100,000 people.

Kits will only be distributed to those with hypertension. At the time of distribution, the program will also be explained in further detail, along with the requirements for tracking. For more information, click here or call (941) 861-2969.