United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties: Spring forward into Health Check
Everyone is supposed to “spring forward” this time of year, right? Well, the United Way is “springing forward” into our annual Spring Health Check events in Monroe County. One of the goals and priorities of the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties is to provide opportunities for everyone to access health services. To help with this effort, we are hosting Health Check events from 8 a.m. to noon May 18 in Bedford at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 8330 Lewis Ave., Temperance, and from 8 a.m. to noon May 25 at the Dundee Assembly of God Church, 13790 S. Custer Road, Dundee. No appointment needed.
The cost of the blood panel is $20 for a 22-test series. The main test offered is a blood panel comprised of 22 tests including a complete blood count, glucose, kidney function, sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, thyroid function and total cholesterol check. A vitamin D test and diabetes diagnostic aid tests are also available. All tests range in price from $5 to $20. Fasting 12 hours before testing is recommended. Test results are mailed to the individuals’ home address. Confidentiality is strictly observed. The following vaccines may be available to adults 19 years of age or older who are uninsured or underinsured and meet certain risk factors: Td/Tdap, MMR, hepatitis B, hepatitis A. flu, COVID-19 and pneumonia vaccines will be available for Medicare Part B recipients.
The state of Michigan’s Road Map to Healthy Communities lists increasing access to health and social programs and services as a priority to addressing social determinants of health. Health programs like Health Check help to address and increase access to health services. Health Check provides a low-cost option for health testing, even for those with high insurance co-pays or deductibles. This is a great opportunity for any adult resident of Monroe County to secure low or no-cost health testing. Because of Health Check, over the years, lives have been saved through detection of previously unknown diseases such as diabetes, leukemia and more. Funding for the project comes from the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties and ProMedica Monroe Hospital which provides the lab testing and procedures.
Community partners help to supply staffing and volunteers: the Family Medical Center of Michigan, Monroe County Health Department, RSVP Program, and ProMedica Pharmacy and Labs. The event also includes a drug take-back program for proper disposal of unused or expired medications. Local law enforcement, a representative from the Monroe County Substance Abuse Coalition, and a local pharmacist are on site to assist with this service. The following agencies will also have information tables at the event: ProMedica Diabetes Self-Management, ProMedica Home Care and Hospice Programs, Area Agency on Aging, Monroe County Opportunity Program, Senior Legal Services, Monroe County Emergency Management and more.
The costs for this project are held to a minimum due to the partnership collaborations.
Please share this information with anyone you think might need affordable health screening. A limited supply of free coupons for the blood panel tests is available for those unable to afford the $20 blood panel fee. Contact the United Way at 734-242-1331 or contact one of the partner agencies for a free coupon.
The United Way currently funds 27 local agency programs in Monroe County. See our website (www.unitedwayMLC.org) for a list of those agencies. We appreciate your support to help fight poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health and substance use disorders, domestic violence, and other important community needs! Additional direct programs and services provided by our local United Way include the 211 Health and Human Services Hotline, Project Ramp, and the 21-Week Racial Equity Challenge.
For more information about giving to the United Way this campaign season, please contact us. Call us at 734-242-1331, email lpipis@unitedwaymlc.org, mail a contribution or visit us at 216 N. Monroe St., Monroe, MI 48162, or visit our website at www.unitedwaymlc.org. Visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok social media platforms, too.
Laura Schultz Pipis is the executive director of the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: United Way: Spring forward into Health Check
