EARH to hold free screening event as part of Alliance

The new Grand Columbia Health Alliance (Alliance) was established by six local healthcare partners to serve and care for the residents and families of Adams, Grant, and Lincoln counties.

As founding members of the Alliance, five of the hospitals—Columbia Basin Hospital (Ephrata), East Adams Rural Healthcare (Ritzville), Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center (Odessa), Quincy Valley Medical Center (Quincy), and Samaritan Healthcare (Moses Lake)—will hold free “At the Heart of Care” assessment events.

Symptoms that could indicate heart disease include shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, swollen legs, or chest pain—other symptoms may be less noticeable.

The cardiac screenings include free blood tests, blood pressure, and other tests to determine if residents may have early symptoms of heart disease that are currently undetected. Attendees will need to fast if planning to have cholesterol, lipids, and glucose screened at the event. (Water and black coffee are okay when fasting.) Lipids are triglycerides and cholesterol with both LDL and HDL.

East Adams Rural Healthcare will hold its “At the Heart of Care” assessment on May 16 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Screenings include free blood pressure tests, “Rate Your Plate,” and height/weight/BMI. A reduced-fee lipid panel screening for $25 will be available from 8-11 a.m.

Partially funded by a grant to the Alliance from the Health Resources & Services Administration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the community-run, public-hospital districts are covering the costs with the goal of helping community members to become better informed to be more proactive and healthier in every age and stage of their lives.

The free At the Heart of Care assessment events seek to reach those between the ages of 30 and 74 who may be at risk for cardiac disease, but screenings are also available for those in other age groups.

To learn more about the Grand Columbia Health Alliance’s free At the Heart of Care screenings available at your local hospital’s event, visit http://www.grandcolumbiahealth.org or email [email protected].