Even though 45 percent of Americans have one or more chronic conditions that require medication, one in three people never fill their prescriptions and three out of four don’t take their medications as directed, costing Americans $290 billion each year and causing life-threatening health problems.

In an effort to help remove barriers to medication adherence and improve health outcomes for multicultural senior citizens, Script Your Future Sacramento and the American Heart Association is conducting Spanish-language educational presentations and free health screenings for Manitos, a Latino senior citizens’ club.

“Heart disease and stroke are our number one and number 3 killers,” said Valerie Scruggs, Health Equity Director for the American Heart Association’s Sacramento Office. “With education and medication adherence people can manage and often even prevent heart attacks and strokes.”

WHO: Script Your Future and the American Heart Association host this week’s Manitos meeting of Latino seniors.

WHAT: Presentations on the importance of taking medicine as directed, as well as preventing cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. The event will be conducted in Spanish. Spanish-speaking spokespersons available.

WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 16; 9:00am – 12:00pm;

Manitos meeting – E.M. Hart Senior Center (915 27^th Street, Sacramento)

California Northstate University College of Pharmacy, Health Net Community Solutions, and Woodland Health Care will provide free medication consultations, blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes screenings, kicking off a series of Script Your Future activities scheduled for this May, which is Older Americans Month. The American Heart Association will also provide a heart-healthy cooking demonstration by Chef Arturo Vargas. The California Office of the Patient Advocate, California Poison Control System, Area 4 Agency on Aging, Community Health Navigators, Novartis, and others will be on hand with information and resources.

“Our priority is education about the importance of taking medication as directed because we know that this is the best way to manage chronic conditions and stay healthy,” said Script Your Future Sacramento Field Organizer Elaine Linn. “We are marking our first anniversary by reaching out to diverse communities and senior citizens – those most at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory illnesses.”

The event is part of the Script Your Future nationwide campaign led by the National Consumers League and supported by more than 110 private and public partners. Sacramento is one of six cities throughout the U.S. where more than 40 local organizations are partnering to raise awareness about the importance of medication adherence. This event is sponsored by Health Net Community Solutions, PhRMA, Lilly, and Novartis.

The Script Your Future campaign was launched in 2011 by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin in Washington, D.C., and locally by former Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet. Information about the campaign is available at www.scriptyourfuture.org.