CVS/pharmacy brings To Your Health tour to D.C. area
WASHINGTON CVS/pharmacy is bringing its To Your Health community wellness program to the Washington, D.C., area beginning June 12 and running through early September.
About 100 events are planned at various CVS/pharmacy retail locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The health programs, also taking place this year in Atlanta and Philadelphia, offer free health risk assessments and screenings to help improve access to preventative care to residents in urban and African-American communities. The free health risk assessments and screenings are valued at $150.
On June 12, Ian Smith, a doctor, author and diet expert, will appear at one of the first To Your Health events in the D.C. area. He will be present to offer his expertise and inspire participants to take control of their health.
The events provide diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and osteoporosis screenings, and also examine patients for oral care and provide referrals for mammograms and pap smears. In addition, physicians are on hand to help patients interpret results and provide counsel on next steps. In particular, CVS/pharmacy hopes to address critical health issues among African-Americans, who often have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. According to the American Diabetes Association, the rate of diabetes among African-Americans is 11.8%, compared with 6.6% of non-Hispanic whites.
In 2009, more than 195,000 people were screened at similar free CVS/pharmacy health events for the Hispanic community across the country, and serious health concerns were detected in an alarmingly high percentage of participants. Of the individuals screened:
- 33% had high cholesterol;
- 36% had a high-to-moderate risk of developing osteoporosis;
- 28% had hypertension; and
- 22% had diabetes, with more than half being diagnosed with diabetes for the first time.