Press Releases: Georgia
March 10, 2008
Kaiser Permanente Offers Free Diabetes Blood Screenings During 2008 Diabetes Alert Day
Atlanta — More than 250,000 Georgians have diabetes and don't know it. Many could be at risk of developing blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease and amputations, heart disease and stroke.
In conjunction with the American Diabetes Association, Kaiser Permanente will offer free diabetes blood screenings for the general public on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at all Kaiser Permanente medical centers in metro Atlanta. The free screenings will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are offered to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Diabetes is on the rise in Georgia because of an increase in the number of people who are overweight. In the last 10 years, the number of people with diabetes has increased by 50 percent," said Juanita Cone, MD, chief of Population Based Care, Prevention and Health Promotion for Kaiser Permanente. "We are committed to getting the entire community – not just Kaiser Permanente members – out to get screened for diabetes."
The screenings will be offered at the following 15 medical centers:
- Alpharetta (3550 Preston Ridge Road, Alpharetta, GA 30005)
- Cumberland/Cobb (2525 Cumberland Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339)
- Gwinnett/Duluth (3650 Steve Reynolds Boulevard, Duluth, GA 30096)
- Henry/McDonough (1125 Towne Centre Village Drive, McDonough, GA 30253)
- Kennesaw/Cobb (750 TownPark Lane, Kennesaw, GA 30114)
- Lithonia/DeKalb (5440 Hillandale Drive, Lithonia, GA 30253)
- Midtown/Brookwood area (1735 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30308)
- Perimeter/North Fulton (20 Glenlake Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30328)
- South Atlanta/Jonesboro (2400 Mt. Zion Parkway, Jonesboro, GA 30263)
- Southwest Atlanta/Cascade (1175 Cascade Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30011)
- Stonecrest area (8011 Mall Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30038)
- Sugar Hill-Buford (1435 Broadmoor Blvd, Sugar Hill, GA 30518)
- Tucker/DeKalb (200 Crescent Centre Parkway, Tucker, GA 30084)
- West Cobb/Austell (3640 Tramore Pointe Parkway, Austell, GA 30106)
If you would like to speak with Dr. Cone or a patient with diabetes for your story, contact Billy Auer at Kaiser Permanente at (404) 869-5952.
Kaiser Permanente is the state of Georgia's largest nonprofit health plan, serving the health care needs of Atlanta metro area residents for 22 years. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. currently provides comprehensive health care services to approximately 275,000 members through 15 medical facilities in a 28-county service, and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The Health Plan provided more than $5 million in community benefit programs and services.