Health fairs will help uninsured with free screenings

Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News

Your doctor has asked you to watch your blood pressure, and you know it's too high. You wonder if you're diabetic like almost everyone else in your family. It seems every time you turn around this winter, you have flu-like symptoms.

It's probably past time to see a doctor, but you don't have health insurance and it's too expensive to pay out of pocket.

A Project Healthy Living health fair may be your answer.

The 41st annual health fair that typically serves more than 10,000 people across Metro Detroit will kick off from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today at Southfield Civic Center. The event will run through May 14 at various locations, with the final health fair from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Macomb Mall in Roseville.

It may save your life, says Ifetayo Johnson, executive director of United Health Organization, the group that organizes the event.

"Every year, we find at least 150 critical readings of people who probably would have literally died if they didn't come through," she said during an interview Friday. "We find thousands of abnormal test results, and each one of those represents a chance for a person to make a lifestyle change."

Johnson says she can't help but wonder if her mother, who died of colorectal cancer, would still be alive if she had early access to a simple screening.

"There are so many unnecessary deaths, so many accidents and so many things we can't control," Johnson says. "But so much of our health can be controlled. We try to reach folks who don't have any symptoms, those who may be victims of silent killers."

Attending the Project Healthy Living fair is free and open to anyone at least 18 years old or accompanied by a parent or guardian. Basic tests will include screenings for obesity, hypertension and vision and hearing. Blood screenings for certain cancers, cholesterol levels and kidney and liver function will be offered for a small fee. Other screenings include low-cost tests for a person's risk of stroke, heart attack and low bone density. Quest Laboratories will provide the analyses.

Take advantage of the health fair now. The events cost United Health Organization about $300,000, and the group lost two of its major sponsors earlier this month. While costs remain only 10 to 20 percent of what they would be in a doctor's office -- for example, $40 for a $400 test -- Johnson says the group won't be able to continue offering such low prices next year.

"At this point, the prices are so low we're almost paying people to take them," she explains. "We know times are tough, and we will try and keep our costs as low as humanly possible."

Sponsors for this year's Project Healthy Living include WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), Comcast, Radio One and Cover the Uninsured Week 2009.

You can reach Kimberly Hayes Taylor at ktaylor@detnews.com.