United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties: Two Health Check events scheduled 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 our fall Health Check events in Monroe County at two sites. The first, held in Monroe, will be from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 12, at Heritage Baptist Church, 612 Strasburg Road, Monroe. The second fall event will be in from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 2, at Carleton United Methodist Church, 11435 Grafton Road, Carleton. No appointment needed.
Cost of the blood panel is $20 for a 22-test series. The main test offered is a blood panel comprised of 22 tests to include 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 individual’s 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.
According to the 2022 Monroe County Community Health Assessment, we now only have 1% of Monroe County residents without insurance coverage. However, 25% of residents have not seen a physician in the past 12 months. Health Check provides a low-cost option for health testing, even for those with 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 Regional 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 and a 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 many 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. Look for our annual Spring Health Check events in the Dundee and Bedford areas in May 2024.
We also host an Adrian Area Health Check each spring and fall. This fall, Adrian Health Check will be from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 5, at the First United Methodist Church of Adrian, 1245 W. Maple Ave. ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital will provide the lab services. Schmidt & Sons Pharmacy will offer vaccination services. The Family Medical Center, a key partner in Lenawee County as well, provides blood pressure checks. Many other community health partners will be onsite as well. The spring Adrian Area Health Check will be at St. Mary’s Activities Center in Adrian.
The United Way pledges to help advocate for opportunities that a good life is available for all. Please “Join Us in a New Way to Live United” this fall campaign season. We currently fund 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, Health Check 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 Daily Telegram: United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties: Fall Health Check events
