The National Institute of Health has been in Hartford since Tuesday talking with people about their health.
The All of Us Research Program is an initiative meant to engage people in underserved communities about healthcare.
It gives participants free screenings and helps collect information for researchers on how to better serve people in communities like Hartford.
“Since everybody comes from different lifestyles and we’re trying to come with that precise medicine that will specifically work for your genetics,” tour leader Ben Escobedo said.
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The All of Us Tour has been at the Hispanic Health Council at 590 Park Road, where it will be again Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It will then move to the Hartford Public Library’s branch at 1250 Albany Avenue Tuesday through Friday.
Hartford resident Luis Garcia stopped for the hour-long checkup after he discovered the tour while riding his bicycle.
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“I want to prevent, for example, cancer,” Garcia said.
Garcia said he goes to the doctor when he has a health issue but doesn’t go regularly as part of a preventative care plan.
He said it can hard for people, like him, who do not speak English as their primary language.
“When it’s about health, you need to be clear exactly what are you suffering, what you need to do,” Garcia said.
All of Us has a bilingual staff and access to other interpreters.
Escobedo said participants give samples of urine and blood and submit to a body composition scan.
The samples are used to tell someone’s ancestry and run a series of tests. The information can determine if someone faces higher risk of a range of health problems.
Researchers also use that information to get a better look at underserved communities like Hartford, understanding the kinds of care people need.
People can decide not to undertake certain parts of the screening. They can also tell All of Us to stop using their samples later on.
It’s an initiative that was first created under President Barack Obama in 2015, with the tour kicking off in 2018.
Since then, All of Us has had more than 820,000 interactions. NIH’s goal is 1 million interactions by 2028.
