CVS offers health screenings, pharmacist Facebook chat for American Heart Month
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Recognizing that cardiovascular disease affects about 80 million people in the United States and is the No. 1 killer of Americans, CVS/pharmacy announced on Thursday that it is providing several free services, educational information and special product offers during February's American Heart Month.
As part of its new Project Health wellness and free health screenings program, CVS/pharmacy will provide free blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and osteoporosis screenings every weekday in February from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at select CVS/pharmacy locations in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas-Fort Worth; Detroit; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico.
As previously reported by Drug Store News, CVS/pharmacy's Project Health will deliver more than $21 million worth of free health screenings to multicultural communities this year to help prevent disease through early detection. More than 1,000 Project Health events will be held during five disease-specific national health awareness months, including Heart Health Month.
To further help patients by answering their questions about heart health and managing cardiovascular disease, CVS/pharmacy will host a live Facebook chat with a CVS pharmacist on Feb. 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The live online event will be free and open to the public, and can be accessed by logging on to the CVS/pharmacy Facebook page.
"As a pharmacy innovation company, we are pleased to provide free resources, such as Project Health screenings and an online pharmacist chat, to help people on their path to better health during American Heart Month," stated Papatya Tankut, VP pharmacy professional services at CVS/pharmacy. "In addition to these programs, CVS pharmacists are always available to support their patients' heart health by counseling them on ways to lower prescriptions costs, manage their medications and improve medication adherence in order to achieve better health outcomes."
In further recognition of American Heart Month, CVS/pharmacy will provide healthy savings and tips through its 2012 Heart Smart Guide, which is available at select locations across the United States in February. The guide contains information about recognizing the signs of a heart attack, monitoring your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight, and advice on eating smart and staying active. It also features savings offers on heart-healthy products available at CVS/pharmacy.
Even more product savings are available through CVS/pharmacy's ExtraCare Advantage for Diabetes program. Members will receive an at-home mailing in February that contains more than $100 in savings on diabetic and heart-health products at CVS/pharmacy. ExtraCare Advantage for Diabetes helps patients with diabetes keep costs down on an ongoing basis throughout the year with discounts on hundreds of supplies to help them successfully manage their condition.