April & May 2013 — Free Cholesterol Screening
April and May 2013 found Soroptimist International of Calaveras County again partnering with Mark Twain Medical Center to offer free cholesterol screening tests to every woman in our county. This will be our eighth year of offering these potentially life-saving tests. The final count of women served in 2013 — 482 Calaveras County women took advantage of this opportunity!!
The process is simple. Complete a simple voucher at any of the five medical clinics in the county or at the MTMC laboratory in San Andreas. A 12 hour fast is required prior to the blood draw. You will receive, via USPS mail, a summary of the results of the testing. The comprehensive cholesterol testing measures good and bad cholesterol and triglycerides, including a risk evaluation for heart disease and stroke. If the measurements are too high, you should consult with your own private healthcare provider for further analysis and guidance.
SI Calaveras County has been fortunate to be awarded grants, over the past years, to help defray the costs of this important testing. Calaveras Community Foundation awarded SICC grants in 2008, 2009 and 2011 totaling $9,000. Soroptimist International of the Americas issued SICC a $4,000 grant in club year 2010/11. At times SICC has designated proceeds from specific fund raising projects to benefit the Take Women to Heart project.
The number of women taking advantage of this opportunity appears to be increasing each year. Since 2007, more than 2,000 women have been tested during these two-month periods. SICC is very proud to partner with the MTMC team in offering these blood draws to Calaveras County women at no cost to them. We often hear from women about how thankful they are that we offer these service. At times lack of finances or no insurance coverage prevents women from having these cholesterol screening tests done.
SICC recognizes that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, killing one in four females claiming the lives of almost 500,000 women each year. Awareness of personal risk and treatment options can empower a woman to live a long and healthy life. Every woman should know her risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke, and speak with her healthcare provider about the prevention of coronary heart disease, setting goals and the best way to achieve those goals. The first step in lowering risk requires measuring and assessing the risk. A cholesterol screening test is an important part of measuring cholesterol (LDL & HDL) and Triglycerides.
SICC is proud to provide this “service” to our county women – below are testimonials from area women expressing their gratitude:
“When I had my lipid panel tests last year, my doctor was not happy with the results and wanted me to have a second screening done. Medicare only pays for one screening each year and I could not afford to pay for the test. Thank you to SICC and the Take Women to Heart project for allowing me to have a second screening- at no cost. Diet and medication changes have brought levels to a healthy range for me. Thank You Soroptimists!
“To all the Ladies in Soroptimist!
I’d like to thank each one of you, for allowing me to test my cholesterol, FREE of charge.I do not have medical insurance and was notified by my Dr. two years ago, my numbers were too high and take medication for it.My husband has severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Because of that, our monies go fast to his battle to get him some relief.I am a working manicurist and work is slow, due to the economy.Thank you so much ladies, that I can take the time, but not the cost of keeping myself healthy!