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County residents will get the chance to receive low-cost diagnostic test results during this year’s 30th annual Wellness Screening Day, held on Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham. Laboratory pre-draws for the event began on Monday and will be offered on weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. until Oct. 10 at the hospital.

Coordinator Amy Hamilton-Forester said the pre-draws were a later addition to the screening due to a large increase in public interest.

“Every year, we have an average of 1,500 to 1,600 people that participate — especially with the laboratory draw, which includes basic lab work you have done with a physical,” Hamilton-Forester said. “These are things like cholesterol, glucose, potassium and others.”

Examples of the pre-draws include the basic wellness profile for $25, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for $10, a Glycosylated Hemoglobin/A1C screening for $10, free EKGs, Peak Flow Tests and Osteoporosis screenings, and a series of Carotid Artery, Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Abdominal Aneurysm Screenings for $30 each or 3 for $85.

The pre-draws are available to all adults, ages 18 and older, and provide a good opportunity for residents to receive affordable screening results in a timely manner, according to Hamilton-Forester. Results from the diagnostic pre-draws will be available during Wellness Screening Day on Oct. 13.

“If you don’t have a doctor or don’t want to go to your doctor to talk about these results, there will be doctors available (at the Wellness Screening Day),” she said. “You can pick up your lab results and go to the section where physicians are and they can talk to you about what they see in the results. They could also possibly refer you to some programs they believe would help you … It’s a good way to link everyone to the services that are available here in the county.”

Residents are asked to bring a form of identification when picking up their test results.

For more information on the Wellness Screening Day or pre-draws, visit the hospital’s website at www.firsthealth.org and click on Events or call 910-417-3735.

— Staff Writer Mallory Brown can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at mallorybrown@heartlandpublications.com