Monday Last Chance For Free Health Screenings

Thursday, April 20, 2023

By DEBRA TUNE Staff Writer May 8 will be the last day for residents in the Doniphan/Ripley County communities to take advantage of free health screenings. No-cost health screening for early detection of diabetes, hypertension and issues with cholesterol will be offered at the Ripley County Partnership, located at 209 West Highway Street, in Doniphan from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tests will be performed courtesy of the mobile Shelden Clinical Simulation Center. This screening will be the last of four that have been offered locally by the University of Missouri Extension. There were others previously hosted at the Ripley County Public Health Center, the Doniphan Nutrition Center and the Naylor Nutrition Center, all supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We hope people will take advantage of this last opportunity to have these important tests,” says Phyllis Guthrie, who is coordinator for the project. She reminds the community, “There is no age restriction. Anyone, any age can be tested.” People can register ahead of time for an appointment, but walk-ins are also welcome. For more information or to register, contact Cary at 573-480-5984, Candice at ccoffman@missouri.edu or Becky at rfenton@missouri.edu. The project was made possible as part of a $35,569,951 financial assistance award. Guthrie says, “The reason Ripley County was selected for the free screening project is because we ranked number one for chronic disease across the state. “Based on these assessments we were contacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the US Department of Health and Human Services about setting up these free screenings.” The grant is intended to address health disparities caused by Covid-19, and heart disease, obesity and diabetes are factors which put infected people at a much higher risk for mortality.