Free Health
CVS Pharmacy: Neighborhood Partners for Good Health
CVS pharmacies take a proactive role in promoting health and wellness in local communities. Various CVS pharmacies at scheduled times offer to the community free health screenings to foster optimum health education. These health screenings typically offer blood pressure readings, cholesterol checks, diabetes and osteoporosis checkups.
Screening Schedules
Many community organizations often disseminate information about upcoming dates and places of upcoming screenings in specified geographic locations. Flyers may be posted in a community center, local supermarkets, doctors' offices, libraries and other public places. Advertisements in local newspapers or posted signs at the CVS pharmacy will indicate the particular screenings that will be held at the specific CVS pharmacy sponsoring the health screenings.
Benefits of Health Screenings
The health screenings in no way are to be viewed as replacing evaluation and follow up by your primary physician. While many individuals do consult their doctors and undergo regularly scheduled tests, other individuals for various reasons including lack of insurance coverage use the health screenings to alert them to possible unknown risk factors or potential health problems. The health screenings could possibly alert you to health problems that should be discussed and referred to your health practitioner. A cholesterol screening can help determine if your readings have improved since your last screening thereby helping you to maintain healthy dietary habits to manage and control your cholesterol levels. Osteoporosis screenings help to identify any possible risk factors for the bone thinning disease that results in weakening bones, a potentially threatening disease if left untreated, especially for older individuals.
Who Administers the Health Screenings?
Qualified health practitioners such as nurses, technicians and other qualified health professionals administer the tests on site. The usual procedure requires that the consumer complete a short form, submit to the medical personnel on duty and then have the test administered. For some tests results are available in minutes, while other test results may have to be sent to a lab which will forward test results to you and encourage you to share the results with your primary physician. The health workers administering the specific health screenings will not diagnose your condition or give treatment plans. Instead, they will encourage you to ask questions and discuss treatment possibilities with your doctor.
Helpful Literature
In the CVS pharmacy area, there are displays containing helpful brochures about a variety of health conditions and health related issues. A brochure on cholesterol describes symptoms and treatment of cholesterol and gives a chart that denotes the numerical values for good, borderline, and high risk cholesterol readings. It gives a simple and clear description of common cholesterol lowering drugs that your physician may prescribe to treat high cholesterol. Another helpful brochure includes a clear and simple to use chart to record the name of your prescription, the dosage, number of times taken per day and how to store the medication. The chart can be kept as part of your permanent personal medical file for future reference. It is a handy tool to take with you to a physician as a new patient. The chart can be completed prior to your visit and eliminated guesswork concerning your medication regimen.
Medicare Information
For the senior CVS customer, CVS pharmacies offer printed booklets about Medicare. Two booklets entitled Medicare Advantage Plan Overview and Getting the Most out of Medicare are two publications that are available for free. Enrolling in the Medicare program can be confusing step for senior and family members. The booklets contain information about deadline dates as well as facts and myths that persist about the Medicare program. The Medicare Advantage Plan Overview contains a “show me” self test that helps one determine if a Medicare Advantage plan would be desirable to help cover costs not covered by the traditional Medicare program.
CVS pharmacies deserve commendation for all that they do as a retail pharmacy to make its patrons aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. They are truly neighborhood partners in health and wellness. Additional information and resources offered by CVS pharmacies can be obtained at www.cvs.com. Putting in your zip code will give information about upcoming health screenings in your area.