AARP/Walgreens Wellness Bus Stops in The Mississippi Delta

AARP Mississippi collaborated with the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Bus Tour to increase healthy behaviors and offer free health screenings in the Mississippi Delta. The tour served Greenville, Cleveland and the two-day B.B. King Homecoming Festival in Indianola. The tour took place July 1 -5.

The bus provided 551 health screenings in a medically underserved area. Each visitor received an information bag with the booklet, How the New Health Care Law Benefits You, an AARP benefits directory, Create The Good information, and a one-year free membership card.

In Cleveland, one man who was screened by the bus in November 2009, told AARP staff he returned because he doesn’t have health insurance, and he values the free screenings. The tour was covered by WABG (ABC) and WXVT (CBS), as well as print media.

During the B.B. King Homecoming stop, AARP’s Driver Safety program provided information about classes throughout the state.

The AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour is delivering free health screenings and health education to communities across the country with a special emphasis on diverse and underserved areas.

Available screenings are worth over $140 per person, and no appointment is necessary. Screenings include the following:

• Total Cholesterol Levels
  
• Blood Pressure
  
• Bone Density
  
• Glucose Levels
  
• Waist Circumference
  
• Body Mass Index
  

Health screenings are a critical method for detecting potential diseases before symptoms are noticed. In fact, of those screened during the 2009 tours:

• 68.0% had high body mass index
  
• 64.1% had high blood pressure levels
  
• 40.7% had high cholesterol levels
  
• 36.4% had low bone density
  

Find out if the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Bus will stop near you.