CVS kicks off annual Project Health wellness campaign, which will deliver more than US$15M in free health services to multicultural communities across US in 2014, via more than 350 events at CVS locations in 15 markets

Cindy Allen

WOONSOCKET, Rhode Island , January 16, 2014 (press release) – Wellness program to provide free health services at select CVS/pharmacy locations
Health insurance experts will also provide support and guidance on new health care options as March 31 enrollment deadline approaches

CVS/pharmacy announced today the kickoff of its annual Project Health wellness campaign. Project Health will deliver more than $15 million worth of free health services to multicultural communities across the United States in 2014.

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During the months of January, February and March, more than 350 Project Health events will be held at select CVS/pharmacy retail locations in 15 markets across the U.S., including Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, New York City, Philadelphia, Tampa and Washington, DC. Project Health events will also be held at select CVS/pharmacy stores in Puerto Rico in March and April.

Project Health offers an array of free comprehensive health risk assessments, including blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), glucose, and total cholesterol screenings. Children seven years of age and older may participate in screenings with parental consent. Project Health events will also offer participants' information on the new health insurance marketplace and their coverage options under the new health care law. Health insurance experts will be available at many events to provide guidance and support to those who need it, as they were during the Project Health events held in late 2013. Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace closes March 31, 2014.

"Ninety percent of the people who attended our Project Health screenings in the fall told us they found the health insurance experts at these events to be extremely helpful. For that reason, we decided to offer this resource again in early 2014," said Helena Foulkes, President of CVS/pharmacy. "We are focused on helping our customers make informed decisions about their health care and will continue to do so as the new health care marketplace is rolled out."

Project Health is part of CVS/pharmacy's commitment to improve access to health care and ensure that cost is not a barrier to important preventive services. Project Health events, while held in cities with large multicultural populations, are open to everyone and do not require an appointment.

"The free, comprehensive health screenings offered at our Project Health events give our customers the opportunity to access vital health care services at times and locations that are convenient for them and can help identify health concerns or risk factors that they may be unaware of," added Foulkes.

Once screened, CVS/pharmacy will help patients through on-site consultations with bilingual (Spanish/English) nurse practitioners or physician assistants who will analyze results and refer patients who require additional medical attention to no-cost or low-cost medical facilities nearby or to their primary care physician if additional follow-up care is necessary. CVS pharmacists will be available to conduct one-on-one medication reviews and answer any questions patients may have.

About 155,000 people received free screenings at Project Health events held in 2013, demonstrating the continuing need for these critical services. As a result, many areas of concern were discovered:

51 percent were found to be overweight or obese
41 percent had abnormal blood pressure readings
32 percent had abnormal glucose readings
41 percent were found to have abnormal cholesterol levels
11 percent had risk factors for osteoporosis

Project Health events will be held from 2pm-6pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, at select CVS/pharmacy locations, in January, February, and March with no appointment needed. For more information, and a full calendar of Project Health events, visit www.cvs.com/projecthealth (in Spanish: www.cvs.com/proyectosalud), or call 1-855-287-7867.

About CVS/pharmacy
CVS/pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS), is America's leading retail pharmacy with more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drug stores. CVS/pharmacy is reinventing pharmacy to help people on their path to better health by providing the most accessible and personalized expertise, both in its stores and online at CVS.com. General information about CVS/pharmacy and CVS Caremark is available at http://info.cvscaremark.com.

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