Two Rivers, Wis. - Aurora Health Care will offer free blood pressure screenings at the following locations on Friday, Feb. 6:

• Aurora Manitowoc Clinic, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 601 Reed Avenue, 920-682-8841
• Aurora Two Rivers Clinic, 9 to 10 a.m., 2219 Garfield Street, 920-793-2281
• Aurora Medical Center in Two Rivers, 10:30 a.m. to noon, atrium, 920-794-5000

No appointments are necessary.

The screenings are being offered to raise awareness for National Wear Red Day on Feb. 6, a day when Americans nationwide, including Aurora caregivers, will wear red to show their support for women's heart disease awareness. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women.

Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood against the walls of the arteries. Two numbers measure a person's blood pressure:

• Systolic pressure (higher number) represents the pressure while the heart contracts to pump blood to the body.
• Diastolic pressure (lower number) represents the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats.

People should aim for a blood pressure below 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). A blood pressure of 120 to 139 over 80 to 89 is considered prehypertension. Elevated blood pressure is a reading of 140 over 90 or higher.

According to the American Heart Association, about one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure. There are no symptoms and a calm, relaxed person can still have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure.

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

# # #

Contact: Jen Strebel (920-496-6369)