Wellness screening for participants
Take the next step in your wellness journey
Why you should participate
The wellness screening is an on-site workplace event delivered in partnership with Lifemark®, a workplace health and wellness group. It's a convenient option that makes it easier for you to stay on top of your health.
If you are without a primary care or health care provider, are too busy to have lab tests done or want to learn more about your current health status, get screened to be more knowledgeable about your health.
Learn about your health status and potential health risks
Chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar can occur without any symptoms. If left untreated, these conditions can lead to poor health outcomes and diseases, such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
By becoming aware of your current health status and potential health risks, you're better positioned to make the necessary lifestyle changes to improve your health and prevent chronic diseases.
Receive recommendations and resources to support your wellbeing
Based on your screening results, you'll find out how to reduce health risks and feel empowered to improve your wellbeing.
To help you with your next steps, our team of Alberta Blue Cross® experts—the Blue Crew—are available at the event. They can answer any questions you may have about your personal benefits plan and direct you to appropriate wellness resources and tools.
For example, the Blue Crew can help you enter your wellness screening results—including those ordered by your health care provider—into the Balance® online wellness program. This is available to you through your Alberta Blue Cross® health benefits.
Balance® can also help you establish personal goals, set up daily reminders (for example, take your medications, eat more vegetables or call a loved one) and access health and wellness information from Canadian experts—all while earning points that you can redeem for a chance to win great prizes.
Discuss your results with a health care professional
The wellness screening session includes time to consult with a nurse on your results. We encourage you to share your results with your primary care provider at your next visit to keep them informed.
If you're at high risk in any health areas, you'll receive a referral letter to take to your health care provider for follow up.
Before your appointment
You will need to
- wear comfortable clothing that allows access to your upper arm for blood pressure testing and measurements of your waist and hips; and
- bring your completed questionnaires to your appointment—this will prevent losing valuable discussion time with the nurse. Paper copies of the questionnaire are available at the event if you don't have access to a printer.
On arrival
When you get to the event, make sure you
- arrive 5 to 10 minutes early to help keep the event running in a timely manner; and
- check in with the Blue Crew so they can confirm you completed the right questionnaires and direct you to a screening room for testing with a nurse.
If you're more than 5 minutes late, your appointment may be given to a wait-listed or walk-in participant—we'll do our best to fit you in later, but it's not guaranteed.
During your appointment
In the screening room, a nurse will
- review a consent form with you and get your signature;
- go over the individual tests to be completed;
- help you complete the questionnaires if there were any questions you were unable to answer;
- measure your height, weight and waist circumference;
- take your blood pressure—you'll experience a slight squeezing pressure on your arm that will quickly be released;
- take a droplet of your blood using a finger prick test, which feels less painful than a paper cut;
- review your results, answer questions and provide relevant information and recommendations;
- provide you with a copy of your wellness screening results; and
- provide you with a referral letter to take to your heath care provider for follow up, if necessary.
Immediately after your appointment
You can
- talk to the Blue Crew if you have questions about your personal health benefits plan and receive additional tools and resources to support you in the next steps of your wellness journey; and
- enter your screening results into Balance®, an online wellness program, and earn rewards points for taking part in the screening event.
After the wellness screening event
In the days following the event, you should
- share your screening results with your primary care provider, so they can support your health and wellness; and
- complete a short, online survey and be entered into a draw to win a prize—to thank you for helping us improve future wellness services for our customers.
Questionnaires
Choose your appointment type to view and download the questionnaires. You will need to bring a completed copy with you to your appointment. If you don't have access to a printer, please come 5 to 10 minutes early to fill out the questionnaire on-site.
Appointment length
None
CANRisk is a score that calculates your risk of developing pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Both pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes can occur without any signs or symptoms. Factors measured within the questionnaire include age, body composition, lifestyle choices, blood pressure and family history.
CANRisk is a score that calculates your risk of developing pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Both pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes can occur without any signs or symptoms. Factors measured within the questionnaire include age, body composition, lifestyle choices, blood pressure and family history.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)PHQ-9 is a score calculated using a 9-question mental health screening tool. It looks at how many symptoms of depression you've had over the past two weeks. Although this tool is not used for diagnosis, it may be helpful for self-awareness, to seek further support and to discuss with a doctor.
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about the screening process
A wellness screening event offers the convenience of seeing a health care professional at your workplace and saves you time from visiting your primary care provider and going to a lab to complete screening tests. For those who do not have a primary care provider, this opportunity helps you access important health information. A wellness screening empowers you to make informed decisions and helps you access resources that will support healthy lifestyle changes.
If your organization is hosting a wellness screening event, you should receive details directly from them. Book your screening appointment using the following instructions:
- Go to the Lifemark® registration portal by following the link sent to you in an email from your organization
- Click 'Sign up' and use the company code as provided to you in the email from your organization.
- Enter your name and email address, and then click submit.
- You will receive an email from Lifemark®—use the link provided in this email to create a password and complete the registration process.
- You can now sign in and book an appointment.
You'll receive a confirmation email after booking your appointment—please check your junk folder if you do not see it and be sure to add the appointment to your calendar. If needed, you can cancel or reschedule your appointment through the registration portal.
Registration, including appointment modification and cancellation, closes 24 hours prior to the start of the event.
There is a cancellation link and instructions provided within your confirmation email from Lifemark®. Registration, including appointment modification and cancellation, closes 24 hours prior to the start of the event. If you need to reschedule or cancel after the registration portal has been closed, please see the Blue Crew on-site at the event.
Appointment booking is available on-site if there is availability. It's recommended to join the waitlist in the registration portal, which is available up to 24 hours prior to the start of the event. If an appointment becomes available, the portal will send you an email notification. After the portal has closed, please see Blue Crew on-site at the event to see if any walk-in appointments are available or to be added to the waitlist.
All tests are voluntary; you can inform the nurse if you don't want to take a particular test. Some of the measures, such as height and weight, will be used to determine risk areas of other screening tests such as heart health and diabetes—declining a particular test may prevent you from getting the maximum benefit from a wellness screening.
Having your blood pressure taken is no different from having it taken at your health care provider's office. You'll experience a slight squeezing pressure on your arm that will quickly be released. Using a retractable lancet, your finger will be pricked to obtain a droplet of blood—the discomfort is less than that of a paper cut. Immediately following the finger prick, the nurse will apply a bandage.
Fasting is not required to participate in a wellness screening.
Lifemark® nurses and the Blue Crew are available throughout the event to help you reschedule your appointment if you're feeling unwell. The nurses are trained to provide medical assistance in the event of an emergency.
Wellness screenings are for employees only, but the Blue Crew can connect you with resources to support you and your family's overall health and wellness.
You'll receive your results immediately. You can discuss them with the nurse, who will provide recommendations and relevant information.
We'll work with your organization to follow all public health orders, guidelines and workplace policies to provide a safe wellness screening event. Some practices may include space requirements, physical distancing, sanitizing and disinfecting procedures and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when requested.
Learn more about how we protect your privacy
The consent form confirms your participation in the screening tests. It also authorizes Lifemark® to collect your test results and use anonymous statistics for anonymized reporting. All data entered will be confidential and under no circumstances will individual identifiable data be made available to your employer or any other third party.
Lifemark® uses a data collection system to record your results. This data is shared with Alberta Blue Cross® to develop an anonymized report for your organization, so they are aware of the health status of their employee population. All health information gathered remains strictly confidential and secure.
To ensure your privacy and confidentiality, we partnered with Lifemark® as a third-party vendor to perform testing and collect data. A nurse from Lifemark® will perform your tests, maintaining your privacy and confidentiality. Test results will only be used to determine your health risks. At no time will your employer view or have access to your personal results or any identifiable information. Any identifiable data will be strictly used for Alberta Blue Cross® and Lifemark® internal business and reporting purposes. Lifemark® will provide Alberta Blue Cross® with data that will be used to build an anonymized report for your employer, so they can improve their health and wellness offerings for you.
Wellness resources
Explore resources to support your health and wellness needs.
Chronic disease management
Chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, can affect your quality of life.
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Lifestyle management
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Collaboration of diverse community partners working together to provide opportunities for wellness.