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Heart disease is one of the leading killers in the world and in Kentucky, and blood pressure is one of the first indicators of poor cardio health.

Thanks to a new program at the Clark County Public Library, area residents now have a new resource to help them monitor their blood pressure.

The library has partnered with the American Heart Association to become the first library in Kentucky to participate in the Library with Heart program.

The program aims to reduce barriers to care by making blood pressure monitors available for free for those who need them.

Participation in the program will provide an opportunity to educate library patrons on blood pressure through the use of kits that can be borrowed, similar to checking out a book.

Each kit includes a blood pressure monitor, American Heart Association guided materials on correctly measuring blood pressure at home, an explanation of what those numbers mean and a contact list of providers from Clark Regional Medical Center and Bluegrass Community Health who will provide follow-up to anyone who needs it.

“The emphasis of this is that we are meeting people where they are, which is one of the guiding values at the American Heart Association,” said Andrea Ooten, who serves as the director of the American Heart Association in central and eastern Kentucky. “We are trying to make sure that we are providing resources that remove barriers to heart disease.”

Two blood pressure cuffs are currently located in the library’s lobby and patrons can check out one of six kits for up to two weeks at a time.

The heart association contacted the library early in the spring about being the pilot institution for the program in Kentucky.

Jeff Gurnee, the library’s assistant director, said that participating in the program is an exciting opportunity to serve an aging population further.

“We are very happy to be a trusted resource of materials and for people to come to for good information,” Gurnee said. “Now, with these blood pressure cuffs, we are providing another point of access in the community.”

Gurnee said that once patrons have the information in hand, the library staff will be happy to send them to community partners with the “technical knowledge” to interpret the date.

Clark Regional is one such community partner and offers many medical services related to heart health.

“We have a myriad of services at the hospital for cardiology, including interventional cardiology, which is our cardiac catheterization lab, and several outpatient clinics as well,” said Matt Smith, the hospital’s CEO. “The outpatient services include echocardiograms, EKGs and other services that the community can use.”

Kentucky usually ranks highly on surveys of states with the worst heart health in the union, and many have experienced tragedy due to it.

One such person is Winchester Mayor JoEllen Reed.

“Heart is an issue that is near and dear to my heart, literally with no pun intended,” Reed said. “My father had a massive heart attack and my mother passed away from a brain stem stroke. I’m currently wearing a heart monitor due to some blood pressure-related issues.”

Reed said she believes the program will be a valuable asset for community health.

“This a great thing for our community for people to be able to stop by and know their numbers; we need to know our numbers.”

Sixteen-year-old Mallory Jones was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect two years ago and agrees with Reed that it will be a valuable resource.

“For people who do not want to go to a doctor’s office, they can come to a public library free of charge and get their blood pressure checked and make sure that they are heart healthy,” she said.

And as someone living with heart disease, Jones said it is equally important to check with a medical provider to see how often one should get their blood pressure checked.

“You do not need to be afraid of it, but you should be cautious of it,” Jones said about high blood pressure.