Registration is now open for a no-cost A1C blood test screening for diabetes on Thursday, November 2, hosted by Blessing Health. The screening takes place by appointment only, between 9 and 11 am at the Blessing Resource Center, 420 N. 34th Street, Quincy, in the same building as Blessing’s Express Clinic. No fasting is required and appointments are limited.
In addition, the screening includes a blood pressure reading. To make a reservation go to events.blessinghealth.org and search A1C, or call 217-277-5000.
The A1C test helps to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. Its results also help patients and their healthcare providers manage the disease.
Diabetes occurs when the body is either not producing or not properly using the insulin it naturally produces. That leads to organ-damaging high levels of blood sugar contributing to heart, kidney, vision, and circulatory problems, and to disability or death. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 10 Americans, or 37 million people have diabetes, but 1 in 5 of them don't know they have the disease because people often don’t notice symptoms in early stages of diabetes. People living with diabetes, or who are at higher than average risk for developing the disease due to family history, race or other factors, could benefit from the screening.
Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease include:
- Being Black
- Being 45 years or older
- Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Being overweight
- Being physically active less than three times a week