CVS Health to Kickoff Annual Project Health Campaign

Free health screenings will be held in 20 multicultural markets across the U.S., demonstrating the company's commitment to increasing access to health care

Educators to offer resources to diabetes patients to help manage their condition

News provided by

CVS Health

Oct 14, 2015, 08:30 ET

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) will kickoff Project Health, its annual free health screening campaign, at select CVS/pharmacy locations on Thursday, October 15. Over the next four months, the Project Health wellness program will deliver more than $10 million worth of free health services to multicultural communities with a significant number of uninsured or underinsured individuals across the United States. More than 700 Project Health events will be held at select CVS/pharmacy stores in 20 markets.

"Project Health is part of CVS Health's commitment to improve access to health care and ensure that cost isn't a barrier to important preventive services," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health. "Our free health screenings can help identify health concerns or risk factors for participants who may not have access to care otherwise."

Project Health offers an array of free comprehensive health risk assessments, including blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), glucose and total cholesterol screenings. Project Health events are held in multicultural communities where residents disproportionately suffer from certain treatable conditions, such as diabetes.

"Over the years, many of the patients we've seen at Project Health events have had abnormal glucose screening results," added Brennan. "In fact, 27 percent of the patients screened in 2014 had abnormal glucose levels that had not been previously diagnosed. That's three times higher than the national average."

To help customers and patients with diabetes manage their condition, upcoming Project Health events will offer diabetes-specific information and resources to patients. Some events will feature diabetes educators who will be available to provide attendees with one-on-one guidance and support.

Additionally, Project Health events will be offering discussions with health plan representatives at select locations, so attendees can better understand the health insurance options available to them in the marketplace.

Project Health events, held in markets with large multicultural populations, are open to everyone and do not require an appointment. Current locations include:

Atlanta
Charlotte
Chicago
Dallas-Fort Worth
Dayton
Detroit
Houston
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
New Jersey
New York City
Orlando
Philadelphia
San Antonio
Tampa
Washington, D.C.

Project Health events are also being held at select CVS/pharmacy stores in Puerto Rico through November as well.

Once screened, CVS/pharmacy will help patients through on-site consultations with bilingual (Spanish/English) nurse practitioners or physician assistants who will analyze results and refer patients who require additional medical attention to no-cost or low-cost medical facilities nearby or to their primary care physician if additional follow-up care is necessary. CVS pharmacists will be available to conduct one-on-one medication reviews and answer any questions patients may have.

Since 2006, Project Health has delivered more than $75 million worth of free health care services to nearly 760,000 people, demonstrating the continuing need for these critical services. As a result, many areas of concern among participants were discovered:

48 percent were found to be overweight or obese
40 percent had abnormal blood pressure readings
27 percent had abnormal glucose readings
46 percent were found to have abnormal cholesterol levels

Project Health events will be held from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and/or Sundays at select CVS/pharmacy locations, with no appointment needed. For a full calendar of Project Health events, visit www.cvs.com/projecthealth (in Spanish: www.cvs.com/proyectosalud), or call 1-855-287-7867.

About CVS Health
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its 7,800 retail drugstores, nearly 1,000 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with more than 70 million plan members, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable, effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at www.cvshealth.com.

Contact:
Michael DeAngelis
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-2645
[email protected]

Amy Lanctot
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-2931
[email protected]

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SOURCE CVS Health