FOR RELEASE: August 25, 2011
CONTACTS:
Kathy Mogle, OnondagaCounty Health Department, 315-435-3280 or hlkmogl@ongov.net
Leesa Kelley, Crouse Hospital, 315- 470-7105 or leesakelley@crouse.org
Amy Delia, American Cancer Society, 315-433-5614 or amy.delia@cancer.org
FREE Health Screenings for Adults Offered September 24
Syracuse, NY – Everyone knows someone who has little or no health insurance, limited access to medical care or even insurance with such a high deductible they can’t afford to get routine medical exams. In Onondaga County, more than 10 percent of adults or 32,000 people, do not have any type of health insurance and nearly 15 percent, or 51,000 adults, said cost prevented them from visiting a doctor within the past year.1
“These numbers of people not accessing routine medical care are why next month’s annual FREE Get Health Connected Screening Fair is so valuable,“ said Cynthia Morrow, MD, MPH Onondaga County Health Commissioner. “Health screenings can be helpful because they detect health problems at early stages, when we have the chance to save lives. We would really like to see people who are uninsured and under-insured, as well as those unable to schedule regular exams for one reason or another take advantage of this offer.”
Set for Saturday, September 24, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter, 800 S. State St., downtown Syracuse, the Get Health Connected Screening Fair offers free on-site health screenings and information to adults (18 and older), including:
– blood pressure; – breast cancer;*
– colorectal cancer; – cholesterol;
– diabetes; – HIV;
– lung function; –prostate cancer.*
– vision *(Advance appointment needed by calling Upstate Connect at 464-8668.)
Spanish and Bosnian language translators will be on-site to provide assistance, as will staff from public health plans to help individuals enroll in an insurance program.
Additionally, pharmacists will be at the event teaching people about the importance of medication logs and how to complete them, along with smoking cessation counselors; emergency medical personnel providing CPR and AED demonstrations; registration for bone marrow donors; demonstrations of proper hand-washing technique and healthy food preparation; and many more tables with information and experts to answer questions.
Free parking, free transportation by request, door prizes and healthy refreshments will be available to anyone taking advantage of the free screenings. Please call (315) 464-8668 for more information or to make a transportation request.
Get Health Connected is a voluntary consortium of CNY health and human service agencies and hospitals with support from local corporations. The entire event is organized and executed with goods and services donated by these organizations.
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1. New York State Expanded Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Report: July 2008-June 2009, Onondaga County — www.health.state.ny.us/statistics/brfss/expanded/2009/county/docs/onondaga.pdf