Local Walgreens stores are offering free diabetes clinics over the next week in recognition of American Diabetes Month.
Each participating location -- six in the Chattanooga region -- will host a six-hour walk-in clinic with free blood glucose testing and, for those with diabetes, free A1C testing, which estimates one's average blood-sugar level for the past two or three months.
"Our clinics will build on the greater awareness around diabetes this month, and we'll continue to work year-round to give people the tools and information to fight this serious disease," said Kermit Crawford, Walgreens senior vice president of pharmacy, in a news release.
The events are sponsored by Novo Nordisk and Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care, both of which market products for people with diabetes.
Risk factors for type-2 diabetes include a family history, lack of regular exercise, high blood pressure and overweight status, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The disease can increase the chances of kidney disease, eye problems, numbness in the feet and lead to amputation as well as many other complications, the association said.
In Tennessee, 10.4 percent of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 8.3 percent in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Georgia 9.9 percent of adults have diabetes.
IF YOU GO
A number of area Walgreens will hold diabetes wellness clinics over the next week.
* 35 25th St. N.W., Cleveland, Tenn., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday
* 1302 Congress Parkway S., Athens, Tenn., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday
* 82 Elmore Road, Crossville, Tenn., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday
* 1228 Battlefield Parkway, Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday
* 2289 Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday
* 5478 Highway 153, Hixson, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 20
Health care reporter Emily Bregel has worked at the Chattanooga Times Free Press since July 2006. She previously covered banking and wrote for the Life section. Emily, a native of Baltimore, Md., earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Columbia University. She received a first-place award for feature writing from the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists’ Golden Press Card Contest for a 2009 article about a boy with a congenital heart defect. She ...
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