Saint Michael's Medical Center to Offer Free Osteoporosis Screening

NEWARK, N.J. (April 3, 2009) –– Saint Michael’s Medical Center is offering free osteoporosis screening at its Newark campuses for women aged 50 and older. More than 30 million women in the United States have osteoporosis or are at risk for the disease, which leads to increased chances of bone fracture.

The first screening will be held on Friday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to noon at Saint Michael’s Medical Center, located at 111 Central Avenue in Newark. The event will take place in the Family Care Center on the hospital’s first floor.

A second event will be held Friday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the hospital’s Columbus Campus, located at 495 North 13th Street in Newark’s North Ward.

A third screening event will take place the following day, Saturday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at the hospital’s Saint James Campus, located at 155 Jefferson Street in Newark’s East Ward.

The bone density screening will be administered via a GE Lunar ultrasound machine, courtesy of GE Healthcare. The procedure is free, completely painless, and takes less than one minute. Women in need of a follow-up examination will be referred to Saint Michael’s Medical Center for further testing.

Established by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1867, Saint Michael’s Medical Center is a 357-bed regional tertiary-care, teaching and research center in the heart of Newark’s business and educational district. The Saint James Campus in Newark’s East Ward and the Columbus Campus in the North Ward deliver key non-acute services, including 24-hour emergency care. They serve as a “front door” to the inpatient, outpatient, and clinic services available at Saint Michael’s Medical Center. Saint Michael’s Medical Center is a member of Catholic Health East (CHE). Based in Newtown Square, PA, Catholic Health East is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, with 33 hospitals in 11 states. More information is available at www.che.org and www.smmcnj.org.