Community Corner

Annandale MinuteClinic Offers Free A1C Test to Diabetics

The walk-in clinic inside the CVS will offer the test until next month

The Annandale walk-in medical clinic inside the on Little River Turnpike is offering free A1c tests to residents with diabetes. The Annandale MinuteClinic will offer the test, which is sponsored by Bayer Diabetes Care, through Jan. 15, 2011 or until supplies last.

An A1c test can help diabetics determine how well they have managed their blood sugar.

"A1c is short for "Hemoglobin A1c" and the test is a measure of how well sugar or "glucose" levels have been controlled for the past three months. A person with diabetes can check their blood glucose/blood sugar with a quick finger stick any time, and that is useful for understanding how they should eat, exercise or take insulin or other medications in the course of any given day," said nurse practitioner Anne Pohnert. Pohnert said the American Diabetes Association recommends diabetic patients have their A1c checked three to six months.

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The test is administered by a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and takes about five minutes to complete, but visitors should expect to set aside 15 minutes or more in their schedule. "The entire visit takes about 15 minutes, as the Nurse Practitioner will also check the patient's blood pressure, review the results of the A1c test, provide patient education and resources and answer any questions the patient may have," Pohnert said.

In addition to serving as a tool for those with diabetes, Pohnert said the A1c results matter to doctors as well. "It's extremely useful to healthcare providers and patients to help manage this highly prevalent and dangerous disease and avoid the many complications that Diabetes can cause such as kidney and nerve damage," said Pohnert.

The test is offered at the MinuteClinic year-round for a "low price," according to Pohnert. Outside of the A1c test, the clinic offers a "wide variety of services from acute visits for conditions such as sore throats, sinus infections, coughs and colds, poison ivy and shingles, to chronic illness monitoring and screening tests".

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For more information about MinuteClinic and the services they offer to Annandale residents, visit their website.


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