Health screeners set up in grocery

Next week, you can get a pound of hamburger, a dozen oranges and medical tests at the same place in Oak Harbor.

NW Wellness, based in Vancouver, will provide medical testing inside Albertson’s supermarket on Wednesday, April 17.

Paul Weymouth, NW Wellness manager, said they’ve been coming to Oak Harbor for several years to do testing, and typically about 40 people take advantage of it. “We’re not offering our screenings for free,” he noted.

Although the screenings do cost money, Weymouth said his company charges less than the same tests cost at a medical clinic. For people with no insurance or high deductibles, that can be an attraction, and no doctor’s office call is added.

Clinicians explain the test results to the customers, and if the results are questionable they are advised to see a doctor. “It’s all as private as it can possibly be, and we go over it right on the spot,” he said.

The company is state and federally licensed and has been providing cholesterol and diabetes screenings in Oregon and Washington for the past four years.

This program was established to identify individuals who may be at risk for heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Testing will be done from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Albertson’s, 1450 SW Erie St.

The total cholesterol w/HDL and Risk Ratio test is $18, and does not require fasting. This test requires a single drop of blood, and gives results in five minutes.

A diabetes test is $5 (eight hours of fasting required). Advisors will be available to educate and counsel individuals about cholesterol and diabetes.

A PSA blood test (Prostate Specific Antigen), and TSH blood test (thyroid) is also available with results in two weeks.

A bone density test is a tool for assessing osteoporosis. Using ultrasound, technicians measure the heel to predict a person’s fracture risk. The cost of the test is $30. Shoes and stockings must be removed to complete the test.

A new test is a computerized cardiovascular risk assessment called Cardiovision, which Weyreth is pitching as important. “You won’t get it in a normal physical,” he said. The test generates information on the elasticity or flexibility of the brachial artery. Called the Arterial Stiffness Index or ASI, the number correlates with arteriosclerosis. Because arteriosclerosis reduces flexibility in arteries, the higher the ASI, the more likely someone is to have hardening of the arteries. The test takes 10 minutes and costs $35 or $30 when combined with the cholesterol/HDL test.

Call (888) 837-8567. Walk-ins are welcome.