The borough-run Gateway Recreation Center. (KRBD file photo)
The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition will offer free monthly blood sugar and blood pressure screenings. The first event is scheduled for Saturday.
The Wellness Coalition’s Alma Manabat Parker said the events are open to all, but they’re specifically aimed at members of Ketchikan’s Filipino community.
“We’re trying to do this monthly, for blood pressure and blood sugar checks for, primarily, our Filipino population because our two top chronic diseases we experience are hypertension and diabetes,” Parker said.
Parker said she hopes that the screenings will also educate people about what healthy blood pressure and sugar levels look like.
“Volunteers are from PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, those are the ones that will be doing the checks, and then members of the Sama Sama Task Force that do these outreach events on their own time,” Parker explained.
Those who participate in the screening are entered to win a 10-punch pass to the rec center and their own blood pressure cuff. The screenings are part of the Wellness Coalition’s Sama Sama Tayo initiative. That’s a grant-funded program that aims to improve health outcomes in Ketchikan’s Filipino community.
The screenings will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Gateway Recreation Center.
Another event is planned for July 23 at A&P Market.
