Today till 7 pm, an AARP/ Wellness Tour (American Association of Retired Persons) mobile health-screening van is on site at the Roxbury Walgreens. Tests include a full panel for blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, bone density and waist circumference, a $140 value.

Those tested who are over 50 years old will be given a free membership to the AARP (a $12-$16 value) with discounts offered for a variety of services and products. The only requirement to be tested is that individuals are 18 years or older. The panel of tests takes only 15 minutes. If medical issues are urgent, referrals to emergency facilities will be made. If non-emergency health issues are found, additional referrals will be made to private providers or the Walgreens pharmacy staff for affordable alternative and complimentary plans which might include non-prescription vitamins and other supplements, as well as exercise and nutrition advice.

The tests include:
BMI
Waist circumference
Bone Density -
Blood glucose via a simple finger prick
Ultrasound for bone density
Blood pressure

Amanda St Pierre is the lead Certified Health Screener for this van, which will be leaving Washington after a month of testing and heading for Oregon sites tonight. Overall, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour has 10 vans in as many regions in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico.

The Tour hopes to screen 2.6 million people throughout these regions. Each van has a mission to screen 130 people per day. As of 2:45 Monday afternoon, about 25 people had been screened. It was noted that the screeners were unaware of any advance outreach to the community other than Univision. One if the primary target populations are Spanish-speaking communities and homeless individuals. The continued funding by Walgrens is uncertain and the program will be evaluated for effectiveness as the regions are covered over time.

Here’s a wider look at one area where trash was found, on the east side of the building, :

Once documented, it was time for action. The observer tried contacting someone in person, but was given a name, number and e-mail address for an office manager who finally was reached by phone the next day. After hearing about the problem, the observer says, the office manager said it was the problem of Prium Development Company, which owns the building, and is headquartered in Tacoma. Somebody in the building should be telling them about it, the observer insisted, and was told those in the building weren’t happy about it either, but that they expected the company to be sending a cleaning crew that day.

“Partial cleanup” ensued, according to our source. But not the dock area. If you’re thinking, well, so what, it’s just trash – as our source notes, it wasn’t just stray bits of paper. Examples of what was found:

So, the observer called the office manager again. Got only voice mail. Same thing the next morning, when our source tried yet again. No callback, so the next call was to the building owner. Our source was directed eventually to voice mail for a “facilities manager.” No callback. Eventually, contact was made. The onsite manager, our source says, continued to contend that it was the building owner’s responsibility, and that they’d been making requests too. However it played out, finally, after persistence from our tipster, the area got cleaned up:

Still tagged (we’ve blurred the tags as per our policy), but as our tipster puts it, “the public health menace is gone.” Will it stay gone? We’ll check back. We suspect the observer will too. If there’s something you’re concerned about, one message here is, don’t give up after one complaint, if action doesn’t immediately ensue. And find out who’s ultimately responsible. One helpful tool: Property ownership can be determined through the King County Parcel Viewer – you’ll find it here; have the exact address handy (or if you don’t know, trace it through the nearest intersection).

Cool deal. 2-7 pm on Tuesday, July 13th, at the White Center Eagles‘ HQ, donate blood and get rewarded with a pint of beer or a spaghetti dinner – with the spaghetti being served on site 5-7 pm the same day. (Or just show up for dinner; it’s only $5.) They’re also signing up organ donors, AND collecting other donations including diapers for WestSide Baby. The big 8th/Roxbury crash on Friday afternoon reminded us all how important donated blood is – so do your part if you can, and be there.

Just checked back on the King County Public Health Food Establishment Closures website, and it looks like Del Rio in White Center was cleared to reopen as of Monday afternoon. As we first reported here last Friday, inspectors closed them for a variety of issues, but the clearance to reopen is confirmation those issues have been resolved.

The *Del Rio Food Store* located at *10230 16th SW, Seattle 98146* was closed by a Public Health food inspector on March 12, 2010 at 2:30 pm for the following critical violations:

* Inadequate handwashing facilities
* Hands not washed
* Handling ready-to-eat foods with bare hands
* Cross contamination not prevented with raw meat storage
* Inadequate hot holding temperatures
* Inadequate cold holding temperatures
* Potentially hazardous foods at room temperature
* Toxic chemicals improperly stored

The establishment will be reopened once the inspector confirms that all issues have been resolved.

With a decrease in donations and an increase in accidents, we could use help maintaining a stable blood supply over the holidays.

As we exchange gifts during the holidays, please remember that you have the most precious gift inside you to give.

Please give others a chance at a better life:

- Saturday December 26th
* Holy Family Parish- Tice Hall 9516 20th Ave SW 98106
* 10:00AM- 4:00PM (closed 12-1pm)

The Puget Sound Blood Center is a non-profit, community and volunteer based organization. For more than 60 years, the PSBC has been improving the quality of life for sick patients in the Puget Sound area. This is all thanks to the generous donors who are saving lives in Western Washington every day. Your volunteered blood is distributed to 70 local hospitals and clinics in the Puget Sound area. For more information, please contact 1-800-DONATE-1.

Get vaccinated for H1N1 flu: More H1N1 vaccine arriving, more opportunities to get immunized

It’s not too late to get an H1N1 flu vaccination. H1N1 flu, also called swine flu, is expected to continue to spread, and H1N1 vaccination will protect you and your family so you won’t miss days of school, work or other important events due to this flu.

Anyone over 6 months of age is now eligible to receive H1N1 vaccine in King County . It’s especially important for people who are at highest risk for H1N1 influenza, including pregnant women, babies and young children, and people with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems. H1N1 vaccine is being distributed to many health care providers and local pharmacies.

Call your health care provider or check pharmacy locations at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1.

In addition, free vaccination clinics for those who cannot afford to pay will be held at the following locations:

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Auburn: HealthPoint ( 126 Auburn Avenue, Suite 400 ), 9 am – 12 pm
Bellevue: Eastgate Public Health Center ( 14350 SE Eastgate Way ), 9 am – 5 pm
Bellevue: Sea Mar – Bellevue Medical ( 1811 156th Ave NE, Suite # 2 ), 9 am – 5 pm
Federal Way: Public Health Center ( 33431 13th Place S ), 9 am – 5 pm
Kent: HealthPoint (403 E Meeker, Kent), 9 am – 12 pm
Redmond: HealthPoint ( 16315 NE 87th St, Suite B6 ), 9 am – 12 pm
Renton: Public Health Center ( 3001 NE 4th St ), 9 am – 5 pm
Seattle: Columbia Public Health Center ( 4400 37th Ave S ), 9 am – 5 pm
Seattle: North Public Health Center ( 10501 Meridian Ave N ), 9 am – 5 pm
Seattle: Sea Mar – South Park ( 8720 14th Ave S ), 9 am – 5 pm
Seattle: Sea Mar – White Center ( 9650 15th Ave. S.W. #100 ), 9 am – 5 pm

Tuesday, December 22 , 2009

Seattle: Sea Mar – South Park ( 8720 14th Ave S ), 2 pm – 8 pm

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Bellevue: Sea Mar – Bellevue Medical ( 1811 156th Ave NE, Suite # 2 ), 10 am – 4 pm
Seattle: Sea Mar – White Center ( 9650 15th Ave. S.W. #100 ), 1 pm – 8 pm

For more information, go to www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-5464.