Caribbean L 6 ife, March 6-12, 2020
BMS Family Health & Wellness Centers leadership and staff with Assembly
Member Latrice Walker (front row, seated far right); BMS CEO Harvey Lawrence
(back row, fourth from left). More than 100 patients were screened at
BMS “Take the Pressure Off!” event on Feb. 20. BMS
BMS hosts blood
pressure screening
By Nelson A. King
BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers
in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn
on Feb. 20 held what it described as “a
very successful” blood pressure screening
and social media event to raise awareness
during American Heart
Month.
Assembly Member
Latrice Walker, BMS Chief
Executive Officer Harvey
Lawrence and BMS medical
staff took their blood
pressure at the BMS Main
health center, along with
100 patients.
The center said selfies
and Facebook live streaming
of the activity were posted
on different social media
networks, using the hashtag,
#HeartHealthyNYC.
This hashtag was developed
by the NYC Health
Assembly Member Latrice
Walker getting
her blood pressure
checked at BMS “Take
the Pressure Off!” Heart
Health Month event on
Feb. 20. BMS
Department and members
of the “Take the Pressure
Off, NYC! Coalition (TPO),”
BMS said.
“This coalition of more
than 100 organizations, including BMS, is
committed to an objective of reducing the
number of New Yorkers with raised blood
pressure by 150,000 by 2022L,” the statement
said.
It said that, in 2016, more than one in
four adult New Yorkers reported having
high blood pressure (HBP).
BMS said that the Feb. 20 event included
many lively activities, in addition to blood
pressure screenings.
These included BMS and Teens for Food
Justice (TFFJ), food demonstrations for
BMS patients; distribution of fresh vegetables
to BMS patients from the TFFJ
Hydroponic farm at Brownsville Collaborative
Middle School, operated by TFFJ and
BMS staff; and a lecture on HBP by BMS
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Camille Taylor-
Mullings.
BMS said 14 patients
were trained on how to do
screenings at home.
“I took my blood pressure
at this event in order to
help set an example that we
need to be more proactive
about preventable causes of
death and disease such as
high blood pressure,” Walker
said. “This partnership
with BMS and other community
organizations is a
powerful way to take charge
of our health.
“Using social media is
a creative means to reach
out and educate many different
people, across all age
groups,” she added.
BMS said high blood
pressure, also known as
hypertension, has no symptoms,
“so an individual may not realize
they have it.
“High blood pressure is dangerous and a
major risk factor for heart disease as well as
stroke — both are leading causes of early
death in NYC (ages 18-64),” it said.
“This awareness campaign aims to
encourage everyone to check their blood
pressure and become more aware of related
risk factors such as obesity, poor diet, smoking
and lack of exercise,” BMS added.
Lawrence said: “We face significant racial
disparities in our community for premature
death due to heart disease and stroke.