Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often called a ‘silent killer’ because it may not show any initial symptoms. If left untreated, it could cause serious harm to the kidneys, heart, brain and other organs.
“Hispanic adults have some of the highest prevalence of poorly controlled blood pressure in the United States, which means they are especially at risk for complications relating to hypertension,” explained Lupe Trejo Alanis, a registered nurse at Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic in Milwaukee.
Aurora Walker’s Point is the largest free clinic in Wisconsin and serves a largely Hispanic population. A few years ago, the staff decided to change how they treat hypertension.
“We tried different types of training sessions for nurses and medical assistants. We made changes in how exam rooms were set up to take the best blood pressure readings,” said Maria Perez Garcia, a registered nurse at the clinic. “We knew that for some of our patients the best way to measure their blood pressure was in the comfort of their own home where they’re not experiencing anxiety related to being in a clinical setting.”
Aurora Walker’s Point applied for and received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WISEWOMAN program to purchase blood pressure monitors and train patients so they can monitor themselves in their homes.
“When a patient is referred to receive a blood pressure monitor to use at home, they schedule a nurse visit with me,” said Lupe. “It’s a lengthy visit because there’s a lot of teaching involved. We don’t just give them the monitors and send them home. We make sure the machine is working properly and educate patients about high blood pressure and possible complications. We talk about risk factors we can control, like nutrition and exercise, as well as those we can’t, like age and family history.”
Now the Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure program is expanding because of memorial gifts honoring the late Dr. Stuart Fine, a volunteer urologist at the clinic who passed away in 2019.
“We’re so grateful for this gift,” said Maria. “Dr. Fine was a very kind man and an excellent provider who was respectful and attentive to his patients’ needs.”
“These funds mean more people have access to this program,” added Lupe. “It’s so much more convenient for our patients to be able to check their blood pressure at home. They have jobs and families, and they can’t always leave to have follow-up appointments at the clinic.”
The program has not only benefitted patients, but also the clinic and its Quality Improvement score.
“We’ve been able to stay in the 83rd-89th percentile for some time now, which few clinics have achieved,” explained Maria. “In the month of July, out of 379 patients with hypertension, 336 have their blood pressure under good control, and that’s in part thanks to this program. We’ve given out 68 blood pressure monitors since the beginning of the year.”
How you can help
Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic has been caring for people who are low income, immigrants, refugees and underserved in the Milwaukee community for more than 25 years. The clinic specializes in providing multilingual, culturally sensitive care and provides care if a patient does not have health insurance. The clinic’s programs and services, including the Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure program, would not exist without the generosity of donors like you. Please consider making a gift today.