FMU ARCH Program to Provide Free Health Screening

The Francis Marion University ARCH Program will sponsor a free health screening for the general public on March 13 at the Williamsburg County Recreation Department, 2084 Thurgood Marshall, Kingstree, 1-5 pm.

The screenings consist of height, weight, blood pressure, finger stick blood sugar, and lab work. All patients have lab work for cholesterol, liver and kidney function drawn. Diabetics also have a hemoglobin A1C drawn (a test that measures diabetic control over the previous three months). Men over 50 (and high-risk men over 40) have PSAs drawn (a blood screening for prostate cancer).

The ARCH Program was established in 2007 by FMU to provide students with service learning opportunities in community health fields. One such opportunity is the ARCH Health Screening Program. The screening team is led by FMU’s director of community health, Paul DeMarco, MD, and Candy Yarborough, RN. It is composed of six students enrolled in majors leading to careers in the health professions such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, mental health, and social work. The team travels weekly to sites in Dillon, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg counties as an outreach to some of the Pee Dee’s most underserved rural communities.

The screenings are open to the public and take place in churches, schools, community centers and other appropriate locations. No appointment is necessary and no fasting is required.

For more information about the screening or the ARCH program, contact the ARCH office at 843-661-1845 or email pdemarco@fmarion.edu.