I just wanted my blood pressure checked

Today there was a health fair at work. The company brings in vendors such as the YMCA, a massage studio, Weight Watcher’s, and representatives from their health insurer, vision care, dental, and employee assistance. The health fair also offers health screening services. As an incentive, they give you a numbered card that corresponds to the number of vendor/representatives who have tables to visit and if you get your card “stamped” by each vendor your name goes into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate towards your health care.

I do not subscribe to the health insurance offered by the company so I am not eligible for the prize – can’t take money off of something I don’t buy in the first place. Not that it would matter; I am really not interested in most of the vendor offerings anyway. I was interested in one of the screening services offered.

As part of the Health Fair, the screening services included glucose and cholesterol testing, body mass index, height, weight, and blood pressure checks were offered. On the flyers sent to all employees, there was a suggestion that read, “Avoid waiting in lines and make an appointment for your glucose, cholesterol, and body mass index testing”. I was not interested in any of these so I did not bother to call for an “appointment”.

I headed down to the Health Fair as soon as it opened for business. In our largest conference room, half the space was dedicated to the vendors/representatives and the other half had medical staff for the screening services. There were three people milling around in the vendor area when I got there. I went straight to the registration table where I was greeted with a smile and handed a tote bag with a granola bar in it. I was asked to write my name and phone extension on one of the blank numbered cards. I told the greeter that I didn’t want one; I was just there for a blood pressure check. She stared at me blankly, so I took the card, filled in my name and extension and walked into the conference room. I could clearly see the division between screening and vendors so I walked over to the first screening table to see if I had to fill out a form to get my blood pressure checked. The screener said yes, and handed me a form to complete that had four questions on it that all pertained to the drawing of blood. I answered them but reminded them that I just wanted my blood pressure checked.

Next thing you know, this woman who was accepting appointments for the glucose, cholesterol, body mass index testing states loudly that I Do NOT HAVE AN APPOINTMENT! I said, “No, I only want my blood pressure checked”. Again she stated, “But you don’t have an appointment!” I meekly mentioned that according to her flyer, I did not need an appointment for a blood pressure check. And I just want my blood pressure checked. The screener said it was OK, she would do it. I think she was embarrassed.

Then the appointment taker stated that there were three people in front of me who had appointments. I motioned dramatically towards the only three people in the room who did not seem to be waiting for appointments. In fact, one of them was the company’s Benefits Director who could see my frustration, and came running over firmly demanding that they just CHECK MY BLOOD PRESSURE. Finally!

By now, just imagine what kind of reading they would get. Since there were more screeners and vendors in the room than employees, everyone witnessed this. So three screeners had me sit down, relax, then they explained that they will take my blood pressure in 5 minutes to get a better reading.

After 5 minutes passed, the screener took the reading and wrote it on a piece of paper. She asked me to sit a while longer and she would take it again. After another few minutes she took it again and wrote the numbers down again. I never saw the numbers; she was writing them on the consent form I signed which was on the table behind me. Then the screener says to me, “Would you like me to take it a third time?”

I think my blood pressure went up dramatically just from the question. My response was, “I don’t know, you haven’t told me what the first two readings were!” She then proceeded to tell me that they were not allowed to say them out loud which is when she figured she should actually show me the paper she was writing on. 160/90, 154/88….gee, what a surprise! How can this be so complicated? I said yes, please take it again knowing very well it would not be good…155/82.

So much for the term “Health Fair”.