The Department of Health announces the return of its popular and free health screenings initiative – Taking it to the Streets – starting tomorrow.
Last year, the nurses held the free health screenings across the island, screened more than 350 people and referred 126 for additional medical assessment.
Persons were referred because the screenings found significantly elevated blood pressure and blood sugar readings during their assessments.
Chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension are called “silent killers” because many sufferers do not feel sick – they have no symptoms. Screening is an important tool for testing and early detection before symptoms develop and before debilitating disease takes hold. Lives may have been saved because of this.
The initiative will start this year on Friday, 22 June when the Department of Health’s Community Health nurse team will be at Woody’s Drive Inn Two Bar and Restaurant on Boaz Island from 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Additional screenings will be held from 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. on:
20 July 2018 – Heron Bay Market Place, Southampton
24 August 2018 – E.F. Gordon Square, Dundonald Street, Hamilton
28 September 2018 – King’s Square, St. Georges
The free health screenings will help to identify persons at risk of chronic non-communicable diseases.
The screenings will include:
- Monitoring blood sugar
- Assessing cardiac risk profile
- Monitoring blood pressure
- Monitoring weight
- Other health education
The community health nurses are “taking it to the streets” to make it easier for the public to attend and to be able to direct those who attend to any health resources they may need.