SMELTERVILLE — Taking control of your health can be an empowering journey, and taking a preventative stance is essential — and last weekend several local residents did just that at Walmart Wellness Day.

Walmart Wellness Day takes place at more than 4,000 of the major chain’s stores across America and aims to support the health of customers that are in medically underserved areas. Smelterville Walmart held its latest event this past Saturday, allowing customers to learn about different health and wellness offerings and solutions.

"Walmart is one of the first points of contact down the medical wellness journey for many people," Smelterville Walmart Manager Karl Bonner said. "We service customers in the Silver Valley and have a lot of traffic in the area. So as they come in, we are able to at least touch base with them, and they are able to speak with one of our excellent pharmacists."

Bonner and Pharmacy Manager Hank Rauenhorst explained to the News-Press that the wellness event raises health awareness and offers free glucose, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure screenings. In addition, immunizations, including tetanus, hepatitis, HPV and COVID-19, are provided just before returning to school.

"It gives customers a baseline of where their health is at, which is important for people that don't make it to the doctor very often," Rauenhorst said. "We offer free blood pressure testing, and I have a blood test that gives your blood glucose and cholesterol in one test."

The awareness event has taken place in U.S. Walmarts since 2014, contributing more than 4.7 million free health screenings for customers, as described in a recent press release.

"For the most part, people are really appreciative of the service," Rauenhorst said. "A lot of people take us up on it, but I wish more people would. It's a nice thing for people to keep their eye on."

The health event happens quarterly, so customers should keep their eyes out in October if they want to participate.

"Our social media page gives the best updates on when we will hold the next event. We want to provide awareness to what we are doing, so anyone who wants to can stop by and use the resources available," Bonner said.

For more information on Walmart Wellness Days, visit https://www.walmart.com/cp/the-wellness-hub/5523094.

Details on events at the Smelterville Walmart can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Walmart4249/.