CVS/pharmacy's Project Health Targets Chronic Disease Through Free Health Screenings

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --CVS/pharmacy announced today the kickoff of its annual Project Health wellness campaign. In 2013, Project Health, known as Proyecto Salud in Spanish, will deliver more than $15 million worth of free health screenings to multicultural communities across the United States.

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More than 750 Project Health events will be held at select CVS/pharmacy retail locations in 10 cities across the U.S., including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Events will also be held at select CVS/pharmacy stores in Puerto Rico.

Project Health will offer an array of free comprehensive health risk assessments including Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose screenings and smoking cessation counseling. Additional screenings that will be offered include Dental Care in October and Bone Density in May and November. Information and education will also be offered each month based on recognized health awareness themes, such as nutrition assessment, lifestyle stress tests and breast cancer education. Additionally, children seven years of age and older may participate in this year's screenings with parental consent.

"Far too many of the multicultural populations we serve have difficulty accessing preventive care," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark. "Project Health makes it easier for our customers to make their health a priority, offering them health risk assessments free of charge right in their neighborhoods. This program allows us to better reach customers who come from a wide array of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that we are able to help all people on their path to better health."

Project Health, which succeeded the To Your Health program that began in 2006, is part of efforts by CVS/pharmacy to improve access to health care and ensure that cost is not a barrier to critical preventive services. Project Health events, while held in cities with large multicultural populations, are open to everyone and do not require an appointment.

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 the patients may have.

In 2012, nearly 160,000 people were screened through Project Health events, demonstrating the need for these critical services. Of the people screened, many areas of concern were discovered:

Project Health events will be held from 2pm - 6pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, at select CVS/pharmacy locations in March, April, May, September, October and November, with no appointment needed. For more information, and a full calendar of Project Health events, visit http://www.cvs.com/projecthealth (in Spanish: http://www.cvs.com/proyectosalud), or call 1-855-287-7867. About CVS/pharmacyCVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with more than 7,400 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug stores. CVS/pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at http://info.cvscaremark.com.

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CVS/pharmacy's Project Health Targets Chronic Disease Through Free Health Screenings