Orlando mayor announces health initiative
On Wednesday, Orlando, Fla., Mayor Buddy Dyer announced a challenge for at least 1 million area residents to get their blood pressure checked. The initiative, Project Pressure, aims to raise awareness of the dangers of hypertension.
Hypertension or pre-hypertension was found in more than 70 percent of the 50,000 adult patients who had their blood pressure checked in the first six months of 2008 at locally based Centra Care Urgent Care, a Project Pressure sponsor. “Our data shows that Central Florida has a blood pressure problem,” said Centra Care’s Dr. Scott Brady, the medical advisor for the campaign, in a statement. “Elevated blood pressure is damaging arteries every day, putting people at increased risk for stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, or some other medical catastrophe. It is a dangerous health condition, but it can be managed.”
Project Pressure will include various outreach events, including the blood pressure challenge, fire station street parties, a blood pressure tracking digital billboard and more. For more information, go to www.ProjectPressure.com.
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