Stalking a silent killer: a church takes hypertension screening to the streets of New York.

The blood pressure technician looked at the woman with concern. Despite a healthy lifestyle, her blood pressure reading was above normal. "Is there any reason your blood pressure would be elevated?" she asked.

"I know what it is," the woman replied. She then told how someone had deeply hurt a member of her family. The worried mother had developed an ulcer.

The technician spoke of the harmful effects of negative emotions on the body and encouraged the woman to forgive. After a struggle with her feelings of anger and bitterness, the woman agreed to pray for the ability to forgive. "I feel better already," she said as they opened their eyes.

Since 1975 the Seventh-day Adventist Ministry of E-Van-gelism in New York has touched the lives of more than a million New Yorkers with blood pressure screenings, food for the homeless, and more. It has also been used as a model for starting many similar Adventist-sponsored programs in cities including Los Angeles and Boston, and as far away as Australia and Hong Kong.

The free blood pressure screening service, which uses converted motor homes to bring their services to all of the New York area, has referred thousands to their physicians due to elevated blood pressure readings. One woman told the van staff, "When I came on the van three years ago, you people sent me to the hospital. It turned out I was in the middle of a stroke right then!"

Of course, most people do not have undiagnosed hypertension. Some may wonder why this Seventh-day Adventist organization has chosen to concern itself with blood pressure testing, with so many urgent needs evident in New York. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. But there is another reason as well.

The screening program is based on the Seventh-day Adventist belief that positive lifestyle choices--including an upbeat outlook on life and trust in God--are necessary for good health. The technicians don't just measure and record people's blood pressures, and send them on their way. Those who come on the vans are greeted with love and genuine concern for their well-being.

Cited by the New York State Health Department as the leader in regular free blood-pressure screening in New York, the van program's mobility has helped make blood-pressure screening accessible to many New Yorkers who might otherwise find it inconvenient or difficult to afford. Often those who come onto the vans indicate this is their first medical screening of any type in many years.

A variety of free health information is also made available on the vans. The booklet You and Your Blood Pressure explains the subject in nontechnical language and includes simple steps to help achieve normal blood pressure and improve general health.

Since decreased consumption of sodium and reduction of dietary fat play an important role in managing blood pressure, the van program offers the recipe and nutrition brochure Naturally Tasty. For those concerned with weight loss, there is a Lose Weight Naturally brochure.

Stress is an ever-present reality in competitive, crime-ridden New York City. Since stress also increases blood pressure, Power to Cope, a stress-management guide based on the principles of the Bible, is offered free to each person screened. Forty thousand copies were distributed during the first year it was offered.

Van program volunteers are also active in encouraging people to stop smoking, since nicotine not only raises blood pressure but also has harmful effects on the lungs and heart. The brochure You Can Stop Smoking explains how to deal with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Seventh-day Adventists have helped millions become nonsmokers with the national "Breathe-Free Stop-Smoking Program" developed nearly 40 years ago.

Van center workers also give health programs in the New York area on a variety of subjects, including how to stop smoking, weight management, and the benefits of a natural diet.

Often people come on the blood pressure vans with needs that are far more than physical.

"I'm an alcoholic," another man said as he had his blood pressure checked. i had a 44-year-old friend who was also an alcoholic. He died of stroke last week. I'm 11 years older, and I don't want to die." The van staff member shared with him the power God offers, and prayed for him. The man responded, "I'm sure God sent me here today."

Laura Pinyan is a health educator with Seventh-day Adventist Community Services of Greater New York.