FREE SCREENINGS
CVS commits $100 million to community health programs.
CVS Health Corp., fresh off its $69 billion purchase of Aetna Inc., is committing $100 million to community programs in the U.S. for free health and wellness screenings to the poor and for other services, Chief Executive Officer Larry Merlo said Monday.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., he said the intent is to create a new health care model t hat ’s more local, affordable and easier to use.
“And by strengthening our local support and community engagement, we can further improve the health of our communities,” Merlo said.
The “Building Healthier Communities” initiative will be funded over five years through the CVS Health Foundation and Aetna Foundation.
CVS Health will expand its Project Health campaign to target more under-served and underinsured communities beginning this year, to reach more at-risk populations with free health and wellness screenings, Merlo said. It offers a no-cost health assessment, including blood pressure, body mass index, glucose and cholesterol screenings that can detect early risks for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
More than 87 percent of patients who attend Project Health events report following up with their primary care physician and were more likely to discuss their blood pressure, BMI and blood sugar levels, according to CVS.
CVS also will direct funding to organizations that show innovation in addiction treatment, such as opioids. For example, CVS said it ’s partnering with Easterseals to prevent and reduce prescription drug abuse among veterans In some ways, the new financial commitment mirrors some of the aims of the tie-up between CVS and Aetna, which combines CVS’s nearly 10,000 stores and 1,100 clinics with Aetna’s 22 million enrollees. It also includes CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager.
Merlo has said the idea is to create a more local, coordinated, and accessible “front door” to health care.
Garth Graham, head of the Aetna Foundation, said in an interview that in Connecticut, CVS funding will help train staff in community health centers and support initiatives such as mobile medical clinics.