WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has launched of Project Health, a wellness program aimed at providing over $21 million of free health screenings to multicultural communities.
The drug store chain said Wednesday under the initiative it will serve up an array of free health risk assessments and health tests during five disease-specific national health awareness months through November.
More than 1,000 Project Health events are scheduled this year, including in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., CVS said. Events are also planned at CVS/pharmacy stores in Puerto Rico.
CVS said that Project Health, or "Proyecto Salud in Spanish," grew out of the chain’s successful To Your Health/A Su Salud campaigns, which focused on promoting preventive health care.
"We know that for a variety of reasons, multicultural populations have difficulty accessing and benefitting from preventive care," Troy Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer at CVS Caremark, said in a statement. "Making this issue even more disconcerting, these same patients disproportionately suffer from certain treatable conditions, like high blood pressure and diabetes. Through Project Health, CVS/pharmacy will work to achieve better health outcomes among multicultural populations and is once again making the commitment to helping people on their path to better health."
At the Project Health events, medical personnel will be on hand to provide diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and osteoporosis screenings, as well as to examine patients for oral health issues. Referrals for mammograms and pap smears will also be provided, as will consultations with nurse practitioners and CVS pharmacists. A selection of screenings will be available at each event.
Once screened, CVS will help patients through on-site consultations with bilingual (Spanish/English) nurse practitioners who will analyze the results and refer patients to no-cost or low-cost medical facilities in that neighborhood or to their primary care doctor, if a followup is required.
CVS said that last year it provided free and low-cost medical screenings and services valued at $150 per person through the To Your Health/A Su Salud programs. More than 162,000 people were screened, revealing the following health concerns: 57% had at least one abnormal screening result, 48% had at least one abnormal risk factor for heart disease; 42% had risk factors for osteoporosis and 27% had abnormal glucose readings.
The Project Health events are scheduled to be held at designated CVS/pharmacy locations during American Heart Month in February, National Minority Health Month in April, Immunization Awareness Month in August, Dental Hygiene Awareness Month in October and Diabetes Awareness Month in November.
