Students within Palomar College’s Emergency Medical Education Department (EMED) helped ‘share the love’ today as they partnered with the County Sheriff’s Department and City of San Marcos firefighters to put on free blood pressure screenings in support of Love Your Heart.

When asked why they elected to participate, paramedic students Greg Hoffman and Klay Symmes shared that the screenings were an important tool and helped spread awareness on the importance of heart health.

“Something I’ve noticed is that a lot of people don’t know their blood pressure,” shared Symmes. “They don’t know what numbers mean, what numbers are healthy to have, or what numbers indicate increased risks so an event like this is really beneficial to them.”

“As people become more aware of their health, I think they’re seeing the value and importance in monitoring their blood pressure,” added Hoffman.

2015 marks the second year that the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, City of San Marcos, and Palomar College’s EMED have partnered together for the event, and the trio is already thinking about how they can continue to work together and amplify the impact of Love Your Heart in their community.

“It’s wonderful that this event and this issue are becoming such a priority,” said Mary Crooks, Office Support Specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and an employee Wellness Champion. “We’re already thinking about how we can build this event up next year – we want to find new ways to encourage others to take advantage of these opportunities in the community, partner with other schools and organizations and really make this into a big thing.”