Finding Free Blood Pressure Screenings
How to Get Your Blood Pressure Checked Even If You Don’t Have a Doctor’s Appointment
Free blood pressure screenings can be very valuable for many individuals not just those with high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, you might already have a home blood pressure monitor to check your own blood pressure routinely. However, there are other ways for you to get your blood pressure checked without buying a home monitor or visiting your doctor more often than you already do. You just have to know where to go to have your blood pressure checked, and below you’ll find some useful tips for locating free blood pressure screenings in your community.
Check Local Hospitals
Local hospitals in your town or neighboring towns can be a great place to get free blood pressure screenings. Many hospitals devote one day a week to doing this. If your local hospital has a nursing school or offers another training program, they likely offer free blood pressure screenings done by their students. If you plan to routinely take advantage of free blood pressure screenings that your hospital offers, have them write down your reading each time for easy reference. Share these findings with your doctor at your next checkup.
Visit the Health Fairs
Health fairs are another good source to get free blood pressure screenings. Check your local newspaper to see if there are any upcoming health fairs in your community. Most health fairs also offer more extensive testing such as fasting cholesterol and blood glucose screenings in addition to having literature available on many health concerns individuals have.
Go Shopping
Another easy place to get your blood pressure checked is at stores that offer automated machines that test blood pressure. Stores such as Walmart, CVS, and Target are examples of stores that offer automated machines to test blood pressure. Some machines aren’t calibrated as often as others so keep this in mind because accuracy is always a concern. Keep in mind that only your physician is qualified to provide you with an interpretation of your blood pressure readings.