Sanford Health is launching a new specialty day for hypertension care within the Heart and Vascular Center.

The clinic is the first of its kind in Bemidji. It will offer comprehensive care for patients with high blood pressure, according to a press release.

This new service focuses on a multidisciplinary approach led by board-certified, hypertension trained cardiology and nephrology health care professionals. Sanford Cardiologist Matthew Whitbeck, M.D., and Nephrologists Daniel Louvar, M.D., and Milagros Zegarra, M.D., will lead the team and review each patient’s case to create individualized care plans.

Hypertension directly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood. While there is no cure, symptoms can be controlled to slow progression of the disease.

The Heart & Vascular Center opened in January 201,3 at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center.

Sanford Health has 45 hospitals and nearly 300 clinics in nine states and four countries.

By — Mal Meyer