365 Health brings health fairs to the metro area

5555 Ward Road, Arvada

Lakewood

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23

Where: St. Cajetans Catholic Parish, 4335 W Byers Place, Denver

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e 365 Health community health fair is coming to multiple locations around the Denver metro area and o ering free, low-cost health screenings.

e health screenings vary at each fair but can include blood pressure, vision, dental, stress and more. Walk-up screenings are accepted, but registering ahead of time is recommended.

Perhaps surprisingly, healthcare was largely ignored in the height of the pandemic, with many people avoiding doctor’s appointments, according to sta at 365 Health.

“Preventative health care and health care, in general, was kind of pushed to the side,” media representative Shane Ferraro said. “We’re really pushing people to get back into the practice of taking care of themselves.”

365 Health is a non-pro t organization that has been largely volunteer operated for over 40 years.

Gary Drews, 365 Health CEO, explained what happens if someone gets abnormal results on a test at a health fair.

“If the person’s result is out of range, then our sta calls that person within 48 hours and urges them to connect with their doctor,” he said.

But many people in Colorado and across the country are uninsured and don’t have primary care doctors. So Drews started a program to help.

“We started a low, low-cost telehealth program,” he said. e program, called Health in Hand, o ers telehealth primary care, psychiatry, women’s health and diabetes support for $80 a year, with no requirements for age, pre-existing conditions or insurance. e service can be accessed 24 hours a day,