A recent health fair used Quality Quest’s Preventive Care Calculator to educate participants on recommended preventative health screenings.

The Salvation Army Family Services in Peoria hosted the fair, which served participants of the soup kitchen and residents of the shelters. Services included dental checks, HIV/AIDS testing, blood pressure checks, and education on everything from nutrition to relationship health.

“Many of the individuals we work with are homeless,” said Norma Weaver, Social Services Director of the Heartland Division of Salvation Army. “Many times, they aren’t seeing the doctor until it is the point of the emergency room.”

The fair refers the participants to be seen on a more preventive basis. The Preventive Care Calculator provides an inventory of recommended screenings based on age and gender that can be taken to those appointments.

“We really do use it,” said Bradley University nursing student Hilary Nave. “We are making sure they know that these are the things they should be looking for at this age and gender. These are things we are trying to take care of before it is a big problem and somebody else needs to pay for a great amount of care.”

Sorted printouts of the Preventive Care Calculator were stacked on the table at the blood pressure station.

“Most of the participants do not have access to a computer as they are living on the streets or in lower income places. So we’ve taken the liberty of printing it out for them,” said Nave.

The nurse reviews the Preventive Care Calculator with the participants after taking their blood pressure. Participants leave armed with the information they need to keep up on their preventive care.

“We used the Preventive Care Calculator last year and I think it was helpful. The more information they have, the more likely they are to follow up,” said Weaver.