EUROSPAR has been announced as the sponsor of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Mobile Health Unit, emphasising our commitment to the health and well-being of the nation and the communities we serve.
The Irish Heart’s Mobile Health Unit travels around communities in Ireland with trained nurses providing FREE blood pressure checks and comprehensive lifestyle advice on heart health and is ever more important as the number of people in Ireland with diagnosed high blood pressure, the leading cause of stroke, is set to increase to more than 1.2 million – one quarter of the population – by 2020.
The Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit has carried out 22,000 free blood pressure checks across the country in its first two years and the charity intends to conduct more than 10,000 further free checks in the coming year with the support of EUROSPAR Supermarket.
The mobile health unit has two professional consultation rooms where people can avail of free, non-invasive blood pressure checks. Nurses provide lifestyle advice and information on next steps including managing blood pressure and following up with a GP if necessary.
Representatives from the Irish Heart Foundation and EUROSPAR Supermarket had their blood pressure checked in Phoenix Park as they announced the new partnership which will see EUROSPAR Supermarket sponsor the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit for the next year as part of their efforts to help people live healthier lives.
High blood pressure is a silent killer and a leading cause of stroke and heart disease in Ireland. One in six people will have a stroke at some time in their life and yet only half of people with high blood pressure know that they have the condition.
EUROSPAR Supermarket’s Managing Director, Malachy Hanberry, said “EUROSPAR supermarkets are located at the heart of local communities. Therefore, we wanted to come up with an initiative that looks after the wellbeing of the people in our communities and what better way than to support the Irish Heart Foundation’s mobile health unit in its mission to help prevent high blood pressure and stroke for all Irish people. Through this sponsorship EUROSPAR is focused, in a very tangible way, on helping to save lives in your local community.”
Speaking at the launch of the sponsorship, Tim Collins, Irish Heart Foundation CEO, said “We’re delighted that EUROSPAR Supermarket is sponsoring our mobile health unit for the coming year and enabling us to continue bringing blood pressure checks and lifestyle advice to communities across Ireland.”
The major sponsorship builds on EUROSPAR’s commitment to the health and well-being of the communities we serve following the launch of our Defibrillator at every EUROSPAR programme earlier this year.
High blood pressure in Ireland
In 2010 it was estimated that more than 950,000 adults aged 45 and over in the Republic of Ireland had high blood pressure. By 2020 the number of adults aged 45 and over with high blood pressure is expected to rise to more than 1,220,000. This represents a 28% increase (an additional 270,000 people) in ten years.
