With health care prominent in the national debate, Overlake Medical Center is giving Eastside residents an opportunity for a wide variety of free health screenings where the barriers of both cost and language are removed.

The screenings are free and do not require that patients have health insurance. They include cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, cardiac and diabetes risk assessments. Consultations with a health care provider will allow patients to understand what screening results mean.

Furthermore, not wanting language to be a barrier to patients not fluent in English, Overlake will offer interpreters in multiple languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish, and Russian. At no charge to the patient and with no health insurance required, all adults over 21 years old can participate.

The annual Eastside Vitality Screenings and Fair will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. at the following locations:

– Saturday, Sept. 9 at Overlake Medical Clinic, Kirkland

– Saturday, Sept. 16 at Overlake Medical Clinic, Lake Hills

– Saturday, Sept. 23 at Overlake Medical Clinic, Redmond

– Saturday, Oct. 28 at Overlake Medical Center’s Main Campus in Bellevue

– Additional screenings at this event include skin cancer spot checks, carotid screenings,

target heart rate and body mass index (BMI) assessments and leg swelling screenings

“It is part of Overlake’s mission to bring health care out into the community, to make it accessible to all people, and these complimentary screenings help us fulfill that mission in a meaningful way,” said J. Michael Marsh, Overlake’s president and CEO in a press release. “The information patients take away is vital; not only do we offer the screening data, we offer our providers’ expertise so patients can take what they have learned to best manage their own health and that of their loved ones.”

Walk-ins are welcome, but screenings are limited. Pre-registration is recommended, visit Overlake’s Eastside Vitality Fair website for details and to pre-register.