Horned Frogs have their finger on the pulse of their health. The blood pressure kiosk located in TCU’s University Recreation Center is the No. 1 utilized kiosk in the entire country, according to the American Heart Association. The machine was installed in April 2019 after the AHA selected TCU to host the first machine of its kind in North Texas. 

Photo courtesy D&M Leasing

“Our partnership with the American Heart Association to bring a blood pressure kiosk sponsored by D&M Leasing has been a tremendous resource to our facility,” said Jay Iorizzo, director of campus recreation. “The kiosk allows individuals to know their numbers and monitor toward better heart health.”

“We are extremely excited to see that the TCU students, faculty and staff have been embracing the new kiosk on campus,” said Chase Kennemer, president of D&M Leasing Fort Worth. 

He became aware of his own cardiovascular issues in time to make life-saving changes, he said, and hopes the machine can provide similar insight for people on campus. Two D&M executives have daughters who attend TCU. 

“Heart disease is the silent killer, and we are happy to have been able to provide a tool to the campus that puts good information right at the fingertips of anyone willing to use the kiosk,” Kennemer said. “Our hope is that it continues to be highly utilized for many years to come.” 

High blood pressure is a common condition in which the long-term force of the blood against the body’s artery walls is high enough that it can eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. 

“Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” said Cami Thompson, executive director of the American Heart Association Fort Worth division, at the time of its launch. “We selected TCU’s recreation center because of the number of students, employees and community members who regularly use the Rec Center and because of TCU’s outstanding commitment to wellness education.”

The kiosk provides fully automated blood pressure and heart rate monitoring in a compact design. Users sit in the chair, place their left arm in the cuff and are navigated through a display screen to each of the tests offered. Results can be downloaded to a smart phone to track or share with a physician. The stations are wheelchair accessible and include a Spanish language translation. 

The University Recreation Center is open seven days a week.