Blood pressure monitors for checkout at San Mateo County Libraries

The partnership with County Health and its Healthcare for the Homeless/Farmworker Health Program came after kits were initially offered at the Half Moon Bay branch library. Its success led to the kits offered at each of the 13 branch locations. 

Nearly half of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, said Deputy Health Officer Dr. Curtis Chan, and most don’t even know it. Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, heart attacks, blood vessel strokes, “and it’s something completely preventable,” he said. 

When individuals develop Stage I or Stage II high blood pressure, often no symptoms are presented, which means many won’t know they’re at risk until it gets worse. Doctors recommend blood pressure screenings to take place annually once adults turn 40, but many people hardly go to the doctor, much less annually, Chan said. 

“That’s the most important thing,” Chan said. ‘We want our adults to live long healthy happy lives here in San Mateo County.” 

Allowing residents to monitor their own blood pressure allows individuals who may avoid the doctor still keep track of their health. 

“To have the library promote this as a public health priority is potentially very impactful,” Chan said. “It reminds people that this is important for their health, and that they can get tested even through the local library.” 

The blood pressure monitor kits are one of many items available for checkout at the San Mateo County Libraries through their “Library of Things” curated collection. Francis Hébert, the Collections and Access Services manager, said the collection looks for ways to support county residents with useful interactive items beyond books that can be borrowed for free. Examples include video games, sewing machines, board games, GoPro cameras, ukuleles and hiking poles.

When Chan visited his local library branch this week to check out the monitor kits, he saw firsthand how libraries are a hub for public health. In the garden, a group was taking a tai chi class, seniors were connecting with one another, adults with development disabilities visited together.

Hébert said offering the blood pressure monitoring kits is just one of the many ways the library works to promote wellness. He said the new item is already a popular check out item among library patrons.

“We’ve seen good numbers in terms of checkouts and what’s cool about it is everything is included in the kit,” Hebert said. “The instructions on how to use them makes it easy.” 

“I think this could be a game changer about how people monitor their own public health and how it should be in the community dialogue,” Chan said. 

To check out a blood pressure monitor kit, the County Health department asks patrons to fill out a short, anonymous survey at the library. Patrons must be 18 years or older to check out the kit, and they are loanable for 21 days. San Mateo County Libraries asks the monitor kits be returned to the service desks. 

Visit smcl.org/libraryofthings for an extensive list of items available in the Library of Things.