Feds award Lowell Community Health Center more than $187G for high blood pressure care

lowell » Officials from the Lowell Community Health Center announced Thursday they were awarded over $187,000 in grant funding from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance care and home monitoring for patients with high blood pressure.

“This grant is an opportunity for us to extend care out of the exam room and into patients’ homes and daily lives. It’s a win-win for our patients and the community,” Rebecca Williams, director of Integrated Care and Case Management at Lowell CHC, said in a statement.

Lowell CHC was among 20 health centers in Massachusetts that received funding for this type of care.

The three-year, $187,980 supplemental funding grant comes at a time when 75% of Lowell CHC patients are being seen via telehealth, officials said.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, controlling blood pressure is a priority for good health, as a person with elevated blood pressure is four times more likely to die from a stroke and three times more likely to die from heart disease.

“We know that self-measured blood pressure monitoring, combined with clinical support, helps people with hypertension lower their blood pressure,” Williams said in the statement. “Even blood pressure that is slightly high puts patients at greater risk. This funding will help us provide patients with the education, tools and counseling needed to self-monitor and manage blood pressure from home.”

For more information on Lowell CHC, visit lchealth.org or call 978937-9700.

Merrimack River Watershed Council to host virtual celebration of World Wetlands Day

lowell » The Merrimack River Watershed Council will host a virtual event celebrating World Wetlands Day on Saturday, featuring a Newburyport children’s book author.

The event will take place on Zoom from 3 to 4 p.m. and is being held in partnership with Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust.

Author Julia Walsh, a Newburyport resident, will do a virtual reading of her children’s picture book “Wings in the Wind,” followed by a question and answer session.

“Wings in the Wind” is a story about an orphaned duckling’s survival, as Walsh watched every day as he matured into a healthy drake on the banks of the Merrimack River.

Walsh wrote the book to teach