Return of Early Blood Draws
Each week, we receive calls from our Friends & Family asking about the status of our Early Blood Draws events, which connect our community with reduced rate blood draws. I have great news to share: our 2021 Early Blood Draws are scheduled for this summer!
The dates are as follows:
Saturday, August 7 – 4H Event Center, Ridgway – 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, August 10 through Friday, August 13 – Montrose Pavilion – 6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, August 14 – Montrose Pavilion – Appointments only 6:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. and walk-ins allowed from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
While the world we live in might not be quite “back to normal” we’re thrilled to be back to hosting our events for our community! This year’s events will be a little different and serve as a transitional year: in order to accommodate social distancing at all events, we will not be able to host our usual “Health Fair” event with informational booths nor our Olathe event. This is a one-time exception: expect these two events to return in August 2022!
In related news, you may have noticed that next year’s events will be in the summer. To reduce health concerns related to driving to our events in snowy conditions and to reduce the risk of participant falls, we will now be hosting these events annually each summer. In addition, there is generally less viral illness spreading in the community in the summer months. For these reasons, this change features many benefits for our Friends & Family.
Did you know our events are not only for our community, but also by our community? Our events are not possible without “a little help from our friends.” Our Early Blood Draw events are staffed by more than 50 community volunteers each year, and sometimes that volunteer roll is closer to 100 depending on our needs. I love meeting with our volunteers, who donate much of their early mornings to make these events happen. Sometimes they even come before their morning coffee – now that’s dedication!
Some reminders about how these events work: we will not bill your insurance. We accept cash, checks, credit, debit, Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and FLEX cards – an improvement we provided last year that made it easier than ever to participate.
Want to register? Registration opens 12:00 a.m. midnight on Monday, June 21 – or what would otherwise be considered “Sunday night.” Registration will be available online and we will have a phone number available soon for those who prefer to register via phone. Keep your eyes open on our website and social media channels for the latest information: we are on Facebook, Instagram, and have our website located at www.MontroseHealth.com
I have missed the early morning conversations we have with our community members at these events – we look forward to seeing you there!
Brad Wiersma, Marketing Director, 970.252.2513