The Francis Marion University ARCH Program will sponsor a series of free health screenings for the general public at the following locations:
- Friday, April 25 -- The Door of Hope Christian Center, 401 Martin Luther King Blvd., Marion, 1-5 pm
- Friday, May 9 -- Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, ACR Family Resource Center, Marion, 1-5 pm
- Friday, May 16 - Marion Housing Authority, 826 Walnut St., Marion, 1-5 pm
- Friday, May 23 -- Britton's Neck Community Center, Hwy. 908, Britton's Neck, 1-5 pm
- Friday, May 30 -- Community Development Corporation of Marlboro County, Plaza Building, 106 E. Market St., Bennettsville, SC 29512
The screenings will consist of height, weight, blood pressure, finger stick blood sugar, and lab work. All patients will have lab work for cholesterol, liver and kidney function drawn. Diabetics will also have a hemoglobin AIC drawn (a test that measures diabetic control over the previous three months). Men over 50 (and high-risk men over 40) will have PSAs drawn (a blood screening for prostate cancer). Assistance with completing a Universal Medication Form will also be provided for all patients who bring their medications
The ARCH Program was established in 2007 by FMU to provide students with service learning opportunities in community health fields. One such opportunity is the ARCH Health Screening Program. The screening team is led by FMU’s director of community health, Paul DeMarco, MD. It is composed of six students enrolled in majors leading to careers in the health professions such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, mental health, and social work. The team travels weekly to sites in Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg counties as an outreach to some of the Pee Dee’s most underserved rural communities.
The screenings are open to the public and take place in churches, schools, community centers and other appropriate locations.
For more information about the screening or the ARCH program, contact the ARCH office at 843-661-1846 or email swrchp@fmarion.edu. 
