Public Employee Press

Health care bus visits the union

In the good old days, doctors used to make house calls.

With the tight-fisted free-market medicine of the 21st century, you can’t expect such personal care.

But DC 37 members, leaders and staff got free medical checkups outside the union hall Sept. 22.

The DC 37 Health and Security Plan worked with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to arrange for its roving healthcare bus to visit the union. More than 80 unionists, including Executive Director Lillian Roberts and President Veronica Montgomery-Costa, participated.

“Many people only go to the doctor’s office when they have something wrong,” said Plan Administrator Cynthia Chin-Marshall. “So we were happy to present this opportunity because knowing your numbers is the key to preventative care.”

The brief exam checked patients’ blood pressure, HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and triglyceride readings, which alert those who should cut down on fatty foods.

Registered nurses gave the tests and nutritionists from the Health and Hospitals Corp. explained the results and advised participants to visit their doctors if their readings were high.

“Based on the positive feedback we received, we hope to arrange for the bus to come by again,” said Chin-Marshall.