Blood Pressure Project Promotional Video

In Fall 2013, at Heart 2 Heart's Harvest Festival, co-coordinators Ruby and Nga accepted a certificate of recognition from the City of Berkeley's Heart to Heart Program.
In Fall 2013, at Heart 2 Heart’s Harvest Festival, co-coordinators Ruby and Nga accepted a certificate of recognition from the City of Berkeley’s Heart to Heart Program.

Mission

The Blood Pressure Project (BPP) is a UC Berkeley student organization founded in Fall 2013. We are an organization committed to bringing blood pressure awareness and education to Berkeley’s underserved communities in order to improve and create a healthy, sustainable society. We are partnered with Heart 2 Heart, a collaboration between the City of Berkeley’s Public Health Department and Lifelong Medical Care (See “Our Partners”).

Our objective is to engage in the following:

  • Provide underserved communities regular and consistent blood pressure screenings
  • Promote health education
  • Increase community involvement in healthy habits
  • Provide clinical volunteering opportunities and mentorship to BPP club members
  • Connecting our patients to health care providers

BPP Beginnings

From the City of Berkeley's Heart 2 Heart Program: "For outstanding commitment and efforts in creating a healthy, vibrant, and safe South Berkeley community."
From the City of Berkeley’s Heart 2 Heart Program: “For outstanding commitment and efforts in creating a healthy, vibrant, and safe South Berkeley community.”

The roots of the Blood Pressure Project stem directly from the Asian American Pacific Islander Health Research Group (AAPIHRG). Founded in 2008 by UCB undergraduate students and community advisors, it created a space for students to design and execute independent research projects in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community health. Research results were presented as part of a Spring DeCal.

In 2012, student leaders in AAPIHRG decided to expand the organization’s scope to include community service and social activism, in keeping with the organization’s vision. Consequently, the student leaders searched for partnering organizations that would allow them to provide direct service to improve the health of people living in communities in Berkeley. After screening and communicating with potential partners, a partnership blossomed between American Heart Association (AHA), Heart 2 Heart (H2H) and the AAPIHRG student leaders. Thus, the Blood Pressure Project (BPP) was formed.