Walgreens, National Urban League partner on Way to Well Health Tour
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens and the National Urban League on Wednesday launched the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with National Urban League as a charitable component of the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment. The national tour provides free health resources to residents in urban and minority communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of preventable diseases, the companies stated. The service is free and insurance will not be billed.
"The National Urban League is thrilled to partner with Walgreens for the Way to Well Health Tour for the sixth year in a row," National Urban League president and CEO Marc Morial said. "As many urban and minority communities in the United States are struggling to afford rising healthcare costs in an uneasy economy, the free tests provided by the Way to Well Health Tour are vital to disease detection and prevention. Working together with Walgreens, we hope to educate and empower urban and minority communities to live healthier lifestyles."
The health tour's bundle of free health tests and risk assessments is designed to provide participants with personal health insights that may indicate symptoms and potential risks for cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Tests include total cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, body composition, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, visceral fat, real body age and body weight. Collectively, the health tests, valued at more than $100, are administered to adults ages 18 years and older by certified wellness staff and can be completed in approximately 20 minutes. Afterward, participants will consult with a Walgreens pharmacist or certified wellness staff about his or her results.
The tour also will continue highlight the Urban League's "I Am Empowered" national service initiative and will collaborate with Urban League affiliates to encourage members of urban and minority communities to act as their own health advocates by visiting the Walgreens Way to Well Health Tour with NUL, which will provide free tests, assessments, education and consulting services.
Last year, Walgreens established the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment, a four-year, $100 million initiative to improve the everyday health of Americans nationwide. The initiative is dedicated to providing accessible, affordable resources for prevention and early detection of chronic diseases: heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
The Way to Well Health Tour is partially funded by consumers who support the Walgreens wellness services mission by purchasing Walgreens-branded health-and-wellness products. Walgreens has pledged 1 cent from the purchase of every Walgreens-branded health-and-wellness product between February 2012 through Jan. 1, 2013, up to $3 million annually, to support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund.
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