Florence County Health Department’s 2022 Summer AHEC Intern, Lacey Enders, is gets her blood pressure taken by the self-checking blood pressure monitor at the Florence County Library. Public Health Nurse Rhonda Lindstrom is behind Enders, teaching her about the different blood pressure ranges.

Florence, Wis. — High blood pressure is a silent killer, as nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure but all too often don’t know it because there are no obvious symptoms, the American Heart Association stated in 2017.

High blood pressure can be caused by an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, obesity, drug or alcohol use, and genetic factors such as age or sex. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be properly managed and the first step to management is getting blood pressure checked.

In the 2022 Access to Health Care in Florence County Report, it’s highlighted that there’s a health care shortage in the area, with a ratio of one primary care physician to every 2,150 Florence County residents.

This has made it pertinent for the Florence County Health Department to make available for public use a blood pressure cuff that allows Florence County residents access to check and manage their blood pressure.

The self-check blood pressure monitor, along with an American Heart Association-approved blood pressure range guide, can be found at the Florence County Library, 400 Olive Ave. by the Florence Middle/High School. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday through Saturday.

The Florence County Health Department also has welcomed Lacey Enders as one of the three new 2022 Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers community health interns. Enders is a rising sophomore at St. Norbert College, majoring in pre-nursing, with the intent to transfer to Bellin College’s nursing program to obtain her bachelor of science in nursing.

“Since I’m a nursing student, I’ll be working closely with the Health Department’s Public Health Nurses to shadow and learn about the preventative work in place for the public’s health,” Enders said. I’ll also have the opportunity to work in the department’s water lab and go out in the field to help with inspections to broaden by public health experiences. I’m originally from Florence and had plans to return home this summer to spend time with my friends and family, so I’m excited to be interning at the Florence County Health Department and gain experience in preventative medicine.”

The Florence County Health Department can be reached at 715-528-4837. For more information on programming, go to the website at http://www.florencecountywi.com/. The health department is on the second floor of the Florence County Courthouse, 501 Lake Ave., Florence, Wis. Hours are 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and by appointment after hours.