The University of Florida recently launched HealthScreen, a program that will focus on free health screening services in North Central Florida.
HealthScreen, a program supported by $937,000 from the Florida Department of Health, will provide screenings to identify people at risk for heart disease, prediabetes/diabetes, hypertension and stroke — conditions that can lead to life-threatening illness if not treated.
“Inadequate access to screening services in North Central Florida is a major issue,” said HealthScreen’s director Dr. Linda B. Cottler, a professor of epidemiology at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions and the UF College of Medicine, in a press release. “Without early detection, these chronic conditions often progress to more advanced stages, leading to severe health outcomes and increased health care costs.”
UF is one of multiple organizations that was awarded inaugural funding through the Dr. and Mrs. Alfonse and Kathleen Cinotti Health Care Screening and Services Grant Program, which supports no-cost health care screenings or services for the public by nonprofit entities.
According to the release, “UF’s HealthScreen builds on the success of UF HealthStreet, a community engagement program focused on reducing gaps in health care and providing opportunities for health research.”
UF HealthStreet, founded and directed by Cottler, employs health workers who go into the community and develop connections with residents to help link them to resources and opportunities to participate in relevant research.
HealthScreen will combine HealthStreet’s community engagement program with the UF Clinical and Translational Institute’s fleet of mobile health vehicles.
“By combining the trusted relationships established through HealthStreet with the mobility and reach of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s clinical research infrastructure, HealthScreen is uniquely positioned to bring vital preventive services directly into communities that need it most,” said Dr. Duane Mitchell, director of the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), in the press release. “This program exemplifies our mission to translate research into meaningful health improvements for all Floridians.”
North Central Florida residents, particularly those in rural areas, who may not receive routine health screenings due to a shortage of healthcare providers offering preventive services and limited healthcare infrastructure.
“This funding will provide underserved communities across the region with comprehensive, no-cost health screenings, health resources and medical and social service referrals,” said Dr. Catherine W. Striley, an associate professor of epidemiology, co-director of HealthScreen and deputy director of HealthStreet, in the press release.
HealthScreen’s services will be offered at community outreach events at locations such as libraries, community centers and bus stops.
“HealthScreen enhances HealthStreet’s mission to reduce gaps in health care, improve health outcomes and support the goals of the Dr. and Mrs. Alfonse and Kathleen Cinotti Health Care Screening and Services Grant Program by meeting and screening people where they are,” Cottler said.