Summer Health Foundation: Free Community Health Screenings
Healthcare as a Right, Not a Privilege
At Summer Health, we've always believed that access to quality healthcare should not depend on one's economic status. While our core business focuses on building advanced health technology, we recognized that many Ghanaians lack access to even basic health screenings that could save their lives.
This recognition led to the establishment of the Summer Health Foundation in 2021 and our flagship program: free community health screenings across Ghana.
The Scale of the Problem
Ghana has made remarkable progress in healthcare access over the past two decades, but significant gaps remain, particularly in underserved communities. Many chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease go undetected until they reach critical stages. Even with the National Health Insurance Scheme, many Ghanaians cannot afford the time or transportation costs to seek preventive care. Limited awareness about the importance of regular health checks leads to delayed care-seeking, and many communities lack access to diagnostic facilities and specialized healthcare providers.
The result? Preventable diseases that could be managed effectively if caught early instead become life-threatening emergencies.
Our Screening Initiative
The Summer Health Foundation's free health screening program was designed to address these gaps by bringing comprehensive health checks directly to underserved communities.
What We Screen For
Our screening packages include cardiovascular health assessments through blood pressure measurement, heart rate and rhythm assessment, cardiovascular risk evaluation, and cholesterol testing for high-risk individuals. We assess metabolic health through random blood glucose testing, diabetes risk assessment, weight and BMI measurement, and nutritional counseling. General health screening covers vision screening, hearing tests, basic physical examination, and age-appropriate cancer screening referrals. Every screening includes health education on lifestyle counseling, disease prevention, medication adherence support, and referral to appropriate care facilities.
Our Approach
We don't just set up temporary screening camps and disappear. Our model focuses on sustainable impact through community partnership, working with local leaders, community health workers, and district health directorates to identify underserved areas and build trust. Rather than single-disease focus, we provide comprehensive screening that addresses multiple risk factors holistically. Every patient with abnormal results receives clear guidance on next steps, including referrals to partner health facilities. Anonymized screening data helps inform public health planning and resource allocation in partner communities. We train local health workers on screening protocols and health education, leaving lasting capabilities in communities we serve.
Our Impact Since 2021
Since launching in 2021, we've conducted multiple screening programs across underserved communities in Greater Accra, including Korle Gonno, Chorkor, Jamestown, and Bukom. Our screenings have enabled early detection of serious health conditions before they become life-threatening emergencies. By bringing screenings directly to underserved communities, we reach people who might otherwise go years without medical assessment. Early identification of hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic conditions allows for timely intervention and management, preventing complications and improving long-term health outcomes for participants.
The Reality: We Need Partners
Currently, Summer Health absorbs all costs for these screenings. Medical supplies, trained personnel, logistics, follow-up care, and referrals all come from our own resources. While we're committed to this mission, the scale of need far exceeds what we can sustain alone.
Screening thousands of people requires significant resources. Each screening event costs substantial amounts in medical supplies, equipment, personnel, transportation, and follow-up care. To expand our reach and serve more communities, we need partners who share our vision of healthcare equity.
We're seeking corporate sponsors to fund supplies, equipment, and logistics for screenings in specific communities. Healthcare organizations can partner with us to provide follow-up care and referrals for patients with abnormal results. Pharmaceutical companies can support through medication donations for patients who cannot afford treatment. Individual donors can sponsor screening events or adopt communities for ongoing health support.
The Technology Behind the Screens
Even our community outreach leverages technology to maximize impact. We use tablets with custom software to record screening results in real-time, eliminating paper forms and transcription errors. Results are uploaded to secure cloud storage, allowing for easy retrieval and longitudinal tracking. Our software flags high-risk cases immediately, ensuring urgent referrals aren't missed. We track screening outcomes, referral completion rates, and community health trends to continuously improve our program. Automated text messages remind patients of follow-up appointments and provide health tips.
Looking Ahead: Expansion Vision
Our expansion vision includes significantly scaling our screening capacity across Ghana, geographic expansion to Northern, Volta, and Central regions, enhanced screening packages including hepatitis B, cervical cancer screening, and mental health assessments, mobile screening units for remote areas, student health programs in partnership with schools, and workplace wellness programs for companies supporting employee health.
But expansion requires resources we cannot provide alone.
Join Us
Healthcare equity is not just a moral imperative, it's a foundation for national development. Healthy communities are more productive, more prosperous, and more resilient.
If you're a healthcare professional interested in volunteering, a company wanting to sponsor screenings, a foundation seeking impactful health initiatives to support, or a community leader hoping to bring our program to your area, we want to hear from you.
Together, we can ensure that every Ghanaian has access to basic health screenings that could save their life. But we need partners to make this vision a reality.
Visit summerhealth.foundation to learn more about our work.
Summer Health Foundation is the non-profit arm of Summer Health Limited, focused on improving healthcare access in underserved communities. Learn more about our work or support our mission at summerhealth.foundation.