OMRON Healthcare is urging regular blood pressure monitoring for all U.S. adults in response to U.S. Surgeon General, VADM Jerome Adams' call-to-action for hypertension control. OMRON, the global leader in remote blood pressure monitoring and personal heart health technology, is promoting regular monitoring – at least weekly – as an essential self-care habit to detect and manage health risks. The U.S. Surgeon General recently raised hypertension as a national public health priority.

The American Heart Association estimates that 116 million Americans, nearly half of U.S. adults, have hypertension, and only 1 in 4 of those individuals has their hypertension under control, says a press release.

“Hypertension is the leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have identified high blood pressure as an underlying health condition that can increase risk of complications with COVID-19,” said OMRON Healthcare President and CEO Ranndy Kellogg. “Knowing your blood pressure, monitoring it regularly, and taking action to manage it, are crucial activities to lowering your risks, and it's easier than ever to do this at home.”

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OMRON revealed four steps that all Americans can take to address hypertension as a national health priority:

1. Make monitoring your blood pressure a habit. New heart health technology, such as HeartGuide wearable blood pressure monitor from OMRON, and Complete, the first blood pressure monitor with EKG capability built-in, enables users to easily monitor their blood pressure at home with FDA-cleared medical accuracy.
2. See your doctor if you're in the hypertensive range. Ask your doctor if your blood pressure level requires a treatment plan. Heart-healthy habits including a well-balanced diet, exercise and stress reduction along with regular monitoring can all help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
3. Make treatment adherence a priority and maintain communication with your doctor. Take medications as prescribed by a doctor, maintain healthy lifestyle habits that support your treatment plan, and explore easy ways to share your blood pressure readings with your doctor.
4. If you're one of the 37 million Americans with uncontrolled stage 2 hypertension, ask your doctor about remote patient monitoring. OMRON recently introduced its first remote patient monitoring service, VitalSight; designed specifically for hypertension management.

OMRON recognizes that health disparities are contributing to an even higher risk in underserved communities, with statistics showing that among U.S. adults with hypertension, 80 percent of Hispanic and Black Americans have uncontrolled blood pressure.

“Long-standing health disparities are the center of these staggering statistics,” said Kellogg. “Our mission is Going for Zero -- the elimination of heart attack and stroke -- and we view health disparities as a top priority. Lack of access to tools, information and care has factored into crisis levels of cardiac events and fatalities in underserved communities. It's gone on for far too long and the risk and loss of life is even higher with COVID-19. Bridging these disparities must be part of this call to action.”

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OMRON Healthcare has partnered with the American Heart Association (AHA), hospital systems, and churches in under-resourced communities to host free blood pressure monitoring and heart health education events to bring resources to residents and listen to top needs to address resource gaps. The company has also donated blood pressure monitors which have been distributed to community health centers through the Target:BP program. Additionally, OMRON is collaborating with Walgreens to donate trusted OMRON blood pressure monitors to the University of Michigan for a hypertension program led by the STEER-HD initiative, which provides underserved communities in Michigan with the blood pressure monitoring and hypertension treatments they need.