It has been almost a year since our last update for the Hypertension Project, and there are many positive things to report:

In my Jan 2026 visit we began screening adults in Kibera by Street Fairs outdoors using a tent, allowing 3 of us (Joel, Clinic Director Dr Tim Kenefick and myself) to screen larger numbers of people, 100 per day. As before, we found 30% of those screened had Hypertension (BP greater than 140/90), for which they were given 3 weeks of Hypertension medicine samples (donated from Americares) and a followup visit with Joel in the clinic; there they were enrolled, and maintenance Hypertension medicines, funded by your generous donations, are dispensed.

Jambo!

I am happy to report that my last trip to Kenya in late August/early September was successful in furthering our goal of Hypertension screening in Kibera: Together with Joel Ogumbe, who runs the Crossing Thresholds FAFU clinic, we saw 157 staff, teachers, and parents from the 4 Crossing Threshold schools, bringing the total screened for Hypertension in Kibera over my 4 trips since March 2024 to 400; predictably, the rate of Hypertension continued to be 30%. Your generous donations resulted in a good supply of medications for us to give to new Hypertension patients, who then will get close follow-up with Joel in the clinic, which now has 160 Hypertension patients coming on a regular basis. In addition, I brought with me 30 lbs of donated Hypertension medications from Americares, a value of $15,000.

I am happy to report that my March trip to the Hypertension clinic in Kibera was successful:

Our goal to expand the number of adults screened for Hypertension and then, using your generously donated funds, offer them treatment with medication, is progressing. 

In Sept 2024, we screened all 60 teachers in the Crossing Thresholds schools, finding 26 with High Blood pressure requiring treatment; on this trip, we screened 160 parents of children in those schools and found 39 needing treatment; thus, in the past 7 months, our Hypertension screening program has screened 220, finding 65 with Hypertension (at the expected rate of 30%) who now receive treatment.