Will County Health Department offers women’s health screenings at special event

Joliet — The Will County Health Department will host its third annual Well-Woman Day on Wednesday to help women get common health screenings and learn about insurance options.

The event will be hosted from 2 to 6 p.m. in conjunction with the Joliet Chapter of the National Hookup of Black Women at the group’s headquarters, located at 1705 Richards St. The event will feature complimentary health screenings including blood pressure and glucose checks, as well as educational resources, raffles and giveaways. The Will County Community Health Center also will have counselors on hand to assist residents with open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplace, according to a news release from the health department.

Additionally, the Will County Mobilizing for Action Through Planning and Partnerships Collaborative will be hosting a roundtable discussion on maternal health during the event. According to the health department, this discussion will focus on “improving maternal health outcomes, the social determinants of health and common health disparities experienced by women.”

“The purpose of the Will County Health Department’s Well-Woman program is to increase knowledge and awareness of well-woman visits and resources available in the community to receive these services,” the health department said in its announcement.

Well-woman checkups are annual doctor appointments designed for women, which are recommended and typically covered by insurance. In Illinois, these visits are covered with many other preventive services by Medicaid.

Funding for the Will County Health Department’s Well-Woman program is provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Title V Program.

The Will County Health Department event is being hosted by the Joliet chapter of the National Hookup of Black Women and is a partnership with Silver Cross Hospital; Oak Street Health; NAMI Will-Grundy; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet; Quest Diagnostics; Future Diagnostics Group; Blueprint Agency; the Joliet Township government; Trinity Services; VNA Health Care; Sam’s Club; Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital; Guardian Angel Community Services; Holstein Human Capital Development; Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness; Count the Kicks; Vituity Health Care; Prairie State Legal Services; and the offices of U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, state Rep. Natalie Manley and Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.