The Heart & Stroke Foundation Barbados

measures the blood pressure of

The Governor General during MM18

Lise Woodward | 19 JUN 2018
Photography credit: maymeasure.com, C.Pitt/BGIS

“In Barbados, in adults over the age of 65, more than 50% of this age group may have hypertension and, similar to international statistics, more than half of that number don’t know that they have it” (Dr Kenneth Connell, May 17th 2108, Government House, Barbados). May Measurement Month is therefore seen as a highly important initiative to raise awareness among Barbadians of the dangers of high blood pressure.  Mrs Fiona Anthony, CEO of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), spoke to us about their experience of MMM in Barbados. 

Screenings throughout May
During the month of May, the Barbados MMM18 team conducted monitoring sites daily, excluding Sundays, from May 7th to May 31st2018. Dr Kenneth Connell, Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of the West Indies and President of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB) was the Principal Investigator with the HSFB being the official Project Manager (http://www.hsfbarbados.org/about). The number of screening sites ranged from one to three daily and we hosted at a variety of locations to include Scotia Bank, CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, BayView Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, AA Laquis, Cost-U-Less, the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus and the home of the Governor General of Barbados, Government House.

BDF medic Lance Corporal Pierce MMM 18 Monitoring Site at Scotia Bank

At the University of the West Indies, Dr Kenneth Connell, Principal Investigator for MMM18 can be seen on the right hand-side of the table providing advice to a participant.

Governor General, Dame Sandra Mason, prepares to have her blood pressure checked by Lance Corporal Dadrian Brathwaite, while President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, Dr. Kenneth Connell, looks on.

Partnering with the Barbados Defence Force
For MMM18, the HSFB partnered with the Barbados Defence Force to execute the extensive screening programme for the month of May. This was supported by the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and AA Laquis.

The initiative received extensive media coverage around the project particularly focused on World Hypertension Day when the monitoring site was held at Government House, home of the Governor General of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason.