Mississippi Link Newswire
For a four-hour period on Oct. 15, nearly everyone in America will have access to free health screenings, education, services and products as Walmart stores nationwide host Walmart Wellness Day.
Based on the impact of America’s Biggest Health Fair, held by Walmart last year, the company is again hosting the largest single-day health event in the nation, with free health screenings expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of people, some whom may be taking an active role in their health for the first time.
The newly named Walmart Wellness Day will take place from noon to 4 p.m. lOct. 15, in more than 4,600 Walmart stores across the country. The event will provide free blood glucose and blood pressure testing, vision screenings (where available), product samples and information on health insurance options. Additionally, more than 10,000 of Walmart’s licensed pharmacists will offer immunizations in all Walmart pharmacies in the US.
Walmart set five world records with last year’s single-day event for the most:
- Blood pressure, glucose and vision screenings – more than 280,000 screenings were conducted
- Immunizations – nearly 52,000 administered
- Food samples – more than 2 million free samples of healthier foods were distributed to customers
- Nearly 3,000 customers were advised to visit their health care professional based on their blood glucose screening results
- 1.7 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- More than 7,000 reports of high blood pressure detected
About 75 million American adults (32 percent) have high blood pressure—that’s 1 in every 3 adults, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
“The cost of health care in America has risen to more than $3 trillion, but the health of our customers is something we can’t put a price on,” said George Riedl, senior vice president and president, Health and Wellness, Walmart U.S. “As more than 90 percent of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store, we’re committed to and uniquely positioned to provide accessible and affordable healthcare that helps busy families live better. Walmart Wellness Day is at the center of that commitment. These screenings provide customers with a basic yet vital understanding of their general health conditions and ways to improve them.”
Walmart has conducted thousands of health screenings over the past several years, some of which may have had lifesaving results. Last year, a Walmart pharmacy manager in Everett, Penn., reported that one patient’s readings during the wellness event were so alarming that she went immediately to the emergency room where she was treated for a hypertensive emergency. Her family, her doctors and the patient were all extremely grateful for Walmart’s clinical intervention.
During Walmart Wellness Day, companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Gojo, BD, Pfizer, US Nutrition, Bausch & Lomb, Clorox, Bayer, 3M, Kellogg’s, GSK, Tums, Chile Avocadoes, Dannon, Uncle Ben’s and Vega will be instore providing customers with free product samples.
For the third year, Walmart is working with DirectHealth.com to help customers identify their health insurance needs, compare coverage options and enroll in the plan that is right for them. The customer open enrollment program for Medicare and Affordable Care Act plans –Healthcare Begins Here –will be available Oct. 15 – Jan. 31, 2017, in more than 2,300 Walmart stores, online and via phone.
To learn more about Healthcare Begins Here and Walmart’s assortment of affordable wellness solutions, visit Walmart.com/healthcare.
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