Town’s Hypertension Lunch-Learn Sept. 18
Could you have high blood pressure? Should you care?
Town of Farragut will host a free educational session on hypertension Monday, Sept. 18. “Hypertension Lunch and Learn with Walgreens,” with a light lunch provided, begins at 12:30 p.m. in Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive, across from the Farragut Branch Post Office.
Jennifer Aramburo, pharmacy manager of Walgreens on the corner of Lovell Road and Kingston Pike, will be the instructor.
“At Walgreens, we try to do a lot of outreach programs in our area,” Aramburo said. “We’ve done quite a few and cover a lot of topics.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 75 million American adults — almost one in three — have high blood pressure and it greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States.
It’s known as “the silent killer” because many people don’t know they have high blood pressure, and many of those who do know don’t control it effectively.
“You wouldn’t actually know you had high blood pressure until you got it checked out,” said Aramburo, who has been with Walgreens for 15 years.
Normal blood pressure ranges change as people age, she said.
“Generally speaking, 120/80 used to be the perfect blood pressure. Now the guidelines allow it to be a little higher depending on age and other factors. We like to see blood pressure lower than 140/90. Some people, depending on their risk factors, might need to be a lot lower. That’s a very, very patient-specific thing that should be discussed with their doctor.”
At the end of the presentation, those who are interested can get blood pressure screened free, a service that also is offered in Walgreens stores, Aramburo said.
Register online at www.townoffarragut.org/register, in person at Town Hall or by phone at 865-218-3375.
