Background: Hypertension is a common and often asymptomatic disease that is easily treatable by health care providers. Undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled hypertension places a substantial strain on the health care delivery system. Through hypertension screening, faith-based communities have become a source to increase access to health care for parishioners without health insurance or no primary care provider. Foreground: There are 3,829 parishioners enrolled in the Catholic parish for this project. According to Health People 2020, one in four Americans does not have a primary health provider or access to health services. One in five Americans does not have medical insurance. This project has exposed those parishioners at risk for hypertension, without health insurance or a primary care provider, through the faith-based hypertension screening program. Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Framework: The faith-based hypertension screening program was guided by Larrabee’s Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Model. Methods: Blood pressure screening was conducted by the faith-based nurses of the parish, after completing the Welch-Allyn Blood Pressure (BP) Training Module. Referrals were made to local providers who have agreed to treat those parishioners without health insurance or a primary care provider for a minimal or no cost. The short term outcome was to provide access to health care. Findings: Two hundred eighty-five parishioners were screened for hypertension, 68 were referred to their primary care provider. Six parishioners were referred for access of care to a local provider. The average age of parishioners screened was 68. There were 25 diabetics and 18 smokers. Mean blood pressure for the project was 132/77. Conclusion: Faith-based hypertension screening programs are effective in identifying at risk parishioners for hypertension.
