Free screenings just one part of Healthy Community Day
Even though health screenings require some of your time, they’re well worth the effort. Join us at our annual Healthy Community Day Saturday, June 1, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Outpatient Care East. It's an easy way to live a healthier life.
“The best way to treat a disease is to prevent it in the first place.”
You’ll likely save money and stay healthier in the long run because these screenings help prevent more severe health problems that could stick with you throughout your life.
“The best way to treat a disease is to prevent it in the first place,” says James Allen, MD, medical director of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center East Hospital. Health screenings can detect conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, eye diseases and cancer even before you start to feel symptoms.
That’s why every year, Ohio State doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, optometrists, and stroke and wound care specialists come together for Healthy Community Day to deliver free health screenings and services to anyone who stops by.
You can find out whether your cholesterol is high, talk with a specialist about sleep disorders or have an expert review your medications at the event.
“Whether you have health insurance or not, anyone can benefit from the free health screenings at Healthy Community Day,” says Dr. Allen. And you’ll be amazed at how much you learn about healthy living, nutrition and health resources in our community at the many tables and displays. Join us for 2019 Healthy Community Day or see a primary care doctor to get one of these important screenings.
At Healthy Community Day:
- Get a full checkup: Healthy Community Day offers a variety of health screenings in one visit, including big ones that everyone should consider: blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol, stroke, hearing and vision, dental, breast cancer and many more.
- Get free school sports physical examinations for high school and middle school students.
- Prepare for your next doctor visit: We’ll give you your test results so you can take them to your doctor and get the most out of your one-on-one time with your doctor. If you don't have a primary care doctor, we'll help you find one.
- Learn about routine care: You might not always know what to ask for when you see your doctor. At Healthy Community Day, you can learn about when to have routine screenings.
- Enjoy free and healthy food provided by our hospital food services staff.
- Connect with local service organizations sharing information about their programs and services.
It’s not all stethoscopes and tongue depressors, either. We add in live music, family activities and free food like turkey hot dogs, corn on the cob and fresh fruit.
Take the next big step on your journey to good health!
Helping our community
The best part about Healthy Community Day is the immediate and long-term benefits to our friends and neighbors of central Ohio. Based on a recent health needs assessment, the city of Columbus and Franklin County have six key opportunities that we hope will be aided by events like Healthy Community Day:
- Access to care - Emergency departments in Franklin County experience higher use (per capita) than elsewhere in Ohio. Emergency departments are also being used more often for less severe cases.
- Chronic disease - Diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability at the local, state and national levels. Franklin County also has a higher prevelance of both adults and youth diagnosed with asthma compared with statewide and national rates.
- Infectious disease - Incidences of these diseases, especially those that are sexually transmitted, are more prevelant in Franklin County than elsewhere in Ohio.
- Obesity - In Franklin County, nearly 31 percent of adults are obese, compared with the national average of 28 percent.
- Infant mortality - Every week in Franklin County, three families lose a baby before he or she turns one year old. And, there is a significant disparity in infant mortality rates, with black babies dying at twice the rate of white babies.
- Mental health and addiction - An estimated one in four adults in Franklin County experiences mental illness. There is a lack of psychiatric beds available, which leads to more patients turning up at hospital emergency departments.
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