On November 10, CVS Health Pharmacy announced about company decision to invest in affordable housing and expand no-cost preventive screenings in Orlando. Recently the company reported, that it will invest in 116 units of affordable housing and expand its no-cost preventive health screening program to Orlando as part of the company’s commitment of nearly $600 million over five years to address racial inequity and social determinants of health in Black communities.
“Increasing access to housing and services like preventive screenings put people in a better position to take care of their health or manage chronic disease,” said David Casey, Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health. “As part of our commitment to address social justice and racial inequity, we’re addressing social determinants of health like housing and access to health care at the community level, which is where we can make a meaningful and lasting impact.”
$8.7 Million Will Be Invested
In press-relies CVS Health said about plans to invest $8.7 million to help build a new 116-unit affordable housing complex in the Mercy Drive neighborhood of Orlando, Florida. “The Fairlawn Village development is part of the City of Orlando’s Mercy Drive Vision Plan. Data compiled as part of that plan indicate approximately 83% of Mercy Road area residents identify as African American. Additionally, almost half of the area’s households are below the poverty income threshold, with a median household income of $17,846. About 55% of area households pay greater than 30% of their income on housing.,” – the company said.
The project will include three buildings, a community center, playgrounds, on-site laundry facilities and onsite management offices. Also, all residents will have access to on-site supportive services including adult literacy, employment assistance and financial management programs. Of the 116 units, 20 will be designated as permanent supportive housing with casework services for people experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, people with a disability or youth aging out of foster care. Local nonprofit Community Assisted and Supported Living, Inc., or CASL, will provide support to formerly homeless residents who move in to the supportive housing units.
“The City of Orlando is committed to ensuring that every person who lives in Orlando feels equally valued and has equal access to opportunity and this includes having equal access to safe, high quality housing they can afford,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “As part of the Mercy Drive Vision Plan, residents envisioned new housing to complement the existing neighborhood. We’re grateful to the incredible partnership with Blue Sky Communities and the investment of CVS Health in the 116-unit Fairlawn Village which will be a thriving new community for our residents to call home.”
Project Health No-Cost Preventive Screenings
Besides, the company planning to expanse to Orlando of its no-cost preventive screening program, Project Health in 2021. This program offers free biometric screenings at CVS Pharmacy locations to help identify chronic conditions before they become life-threatening illnesses. Worth over $100 in value, screenings measure body mass index, blood pressure, glucose and total cholesterol.
The screenings can detect early risks for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. “As we expand Project Health to Orlando in 2021, we anticipate being able to reach thousands of people locally and provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in free medical services in the first year alone,” said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health.
