The YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City continues to help members of all ages improve their spirit, mind, and body. Most of our YMCAs offer free blood pressure monitoring to provide members with a simple and accessible ways to stay aware of their heart health.
We wouldn’t be able to provide this for members without the incredible and generous donation of these systems by the American Heart Association (AHA). Their support will help to improve the health of our fellow Oklahomans, and we are so grateful to them.
Blood pressure monitoring stations are currently available at the following YMCA locations:
- Bethany YMCA
- Chickasha Area YMCA
- Earlywine Park YMCA
- Edward L. Gaylord Downtown YMCA
- Great Plains Family YMCA
- Guthrie YMCA
- Midwest City YMCA
- Mitch Park YMCA
- Norman YMCA
- North Side YMCA
- Pete White YMCA
- Rankin YMCA
- Rockwell Plaza YMCA
- Stillwater YMCA
- YMCA Healthy Living Center
Staying aware of your blood pressure is important because high blood pressure (HBP) often has no symptoms, yet it can greatly increase the risk of heart disease and stroke if left unmanaged. According to the AHA, most of the damage caused by high blood pressure is preventable when it is properly controlled. Nearly one-third of adults have high blood pressure and do not know it, and among those who do know, only about half have it under control.
“Having undergone heart issues of my own recently, I have become more aware of the amount of sodium I was taking in. You do not have to cut it out completely, but monitoring and limiting the amount, if necessary, can go a long way,” Corbin Lee, Chickasha Area YMCA program director and interim executive director.
Across our association, members have been using these monitoring stations to track their health and start important conversations about prevention. “Members have often been taken aback by their results because high blood pressure can be silent,” said Lee. “I monitor mine regularly to stay aware of my health, and many members have said how thankful they are to have this option available at the Y.”
Programs like this reflect the YMCA’s ongoing commitment to chronic disease prevention, health education, and community well-being. By creating spaces for connection, conversation, and care, the Y continues to help individuals strengthen their health and their hearts, one visit at a time.
Information in this article was sourced from the American Heart Association. For more tips on maintaining heart health, visit their website at heart.org or by reading their article.
Written by Corey Cargill, ccargill@ymcaokc.org
