Walmart Wellness Day has potential to reach 90% of America with free screenings
BENTONVILLE, Ark. – For a four hour period on Oct. 15, nearly everyone in America will have access to free health screenings, education, services and products as Walmart stores nationwide host Walmart Wellness Day.
“The cost of healthcare in America has risen to more than $3 trillion, but the health of our customers is something we can’t put a price on,” stated George Riedl, SVP and president, Health and Wellness, Walmart U.S. “As more than 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store, we’re committed and uniquely positioned to providing accessible and affordable healthcare that helps busy families live better. Walmart Wellness Day is at the center of that commitment. These screenings provide customers with a basic yet vital understanding of their general health conditions and ways to improve it.”
Based on the impact of America’s Biggest Health Fair held by Walmart last year, the company is again hosting the largest single-day health event in the nation with free health screenings expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of people, some whom may be taking an active role in their health for the first time.
The newly named Walmart Wellness Day will take place from noon — 4p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 15 in more than 4,600 Walmart stores across the country. The event will provide free blood glucose, blood pressure, vision screenings (where available), product samples and information on health insurance options. Additionally, more than 10,000 of Walmart’s licensed pharmacists will offer immunizations in all Walmart pharmacies in the U.S.
Walmart Wellness Day by the numbers:
Walmart beat five world records with last year’s single-day event for the most blood pressure, glucose and vision screenings (more than 280,000 screenings were conducted), immunizations (nearly 52,000 administered) and food samples (more than 2 million free samples of healthier foods were distributed to customers);
Nearly 3,000 customers were advised to visit their health care professional based on their blood glucose screening results; and
More than 7,000 reports of high blood pressure were detected.
Walmart has conducted thousands of health screenings over the past several years, some of which may have had lifesaving results. Last year, a Walmart pharmacy manager in Everett, Penn., reported that one patient's readings during the wellness event “were so alarming that she went immediately to the emergency room where she was treated for a hypertensive emergency. Her family, her doctors and the patient were all extremely grateful for Walmart’s clinical intervention. It was truly gratifying to see how we can really make a difference in patients’ lives every day.”
“Our commitment to this doesn’t end in our Health and Wellness area,” Riedl added. “We have many of the products customers need to start or continue their journey to a healthy lifestyle such as fresh produce, apparel, exercise equipment and wearable technology.”
During Walmart Wellness Day, companies such as GoJo, Pfizer, US Nutrition, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Clorox, Kleenex, Dannon, Kellogg’s, Mars and Vega will be in-store providing customers with free product samples. Additionally, Trividia, Bausch & Lomb, Becton Dickinson, Bayer, 3M, Reckitt-Benckiser, Zeiss, Traditional Medicinals, Iovate, Equal, True Science, Boomchickapop, Prestige, Enjoy Life Foods, Voortman Cookies, Amneal will serve as sponsors of the event.