CVS/pharmacy Begins Free Health Screenings in Communities Nationwide Through 'A Su Salud' Program

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS/pharmacy, the nation's leading retail pharmacy, today announced its "A Su Salud" (To Your Health) health fairs for 2010.  The community wellness program offers free comprehensive health risk assessments and screenings to help people in underserved areas with early detection and disease prevention. More than 800 events are scheduled for 2010 in cities including Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort-Worth, Houston, Corpus Christi, San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno.

A Su Salud is part of efforts by CVS/pharmacy to improve access to preventative care and ensure that cost is not a barrier to important health services like screenings. The fairs provide diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and osteoporosis screenings, and also examine patients for oral care, provide referrals for mammograms and pap smears, and offer consultations with doctors and pharmacists.  In 2009, CVS/pharmacy provided free and low-cost medical screenings and services valued at $49 million to the community through the A Su Salud program and direct referrals from the events.

"This recession has made it more critical than ever for people to have access to adequate and affordable healthcare," said Troy Brennan, M.D., and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark.  "Hispanics are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases like diabetes and we are pleased to help make these health services more accessible to help aid in early detection and lower their risk levels for disease and complications."

Last year, over 195,000 people were screened during the events, underscoring the importance of access to these services. Of the individuals screened, many health concerns were discovered, including:

• 33 percent had high cholesterol
• 36 percent had a high to moderate risk of developing osteoporosis
• 28 percent had hypertension
• 22 percent had diabetes, with more than half being diagnosed with diabetes for the first time

In addition, many of the health fairs included cancer screening for women where over 16,000 women across the country were referred to these free services. This year, CVS/pharmacy will again partner with local and state agencies to host mobile units offering low-cost and no-cost cancer detection services for women, including mammograms and pap smears.

Once screened, CVS/pharmacy helps patients through on-site consultations with bi-lingual (Spanish/English) physicians who analyze the results and refer patients to no-cost, low-cost medical facilities within that neighborhood or to their primary care physician should additional follow-up be required.

For more information, and a full calendar of A Su Salud events, please go to www.asusalud.com or call 888-604-0333.

About CVS/pharmacy

CVS/pharmacy is the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS). The Company operates more than 7,000 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drugs stores. CVS/pharmacy is committed to improving the lives of those we serve by making innovative and high-quality health and pharmacy services safe, affordable and easy to access, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at http://www.cvscaremark.com/.

SOURCE CVS/pharmacy

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