WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy has kicked off a program of free health screenings that will run through the end of the year in multicultural communities nationwide.

CVS says the program — dubbed Project Health — will provide more than $21 million worth of screenings throughout 2012. Tests will include those for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol as well as body mass index screenings.

After analyzing results, the nurse practitioners and physician assistants doing the screenings will make referrals to no-cost or low-cost medical facilities within that neighborhood or to a patient’s primary care physician. They will also offer consultations with themselves or CVS pharmacists.

“Access to preventive care is one way we help the communities we serve,” CVS Caremark Corp. executive vice president and chief medical officer Troy Brennan says. “We know chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes are tremendous burdens on multicultural communities, and detecting these issues is a very important first step on a person’s path to better health.”

With April being National Minority Health Month, CVS/pharmacy began the program by offering free health screenings at select stores in African-American and Latino communities in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

More than 1,000 Project Health events are scheduled throughout the year.

Executives explain that the program, which aims to prevent disease through early detection, grew from CVS/pharmacy’s To Your Health/A Su Salud campaigns.

In 2011 CVS/pharmacy provided free and low-cost medical screenings and services valued at $150 per person through these programs.

The company says that more than 162,000 people were screened during the events and many were found to have severe health concerns. For instance, CVS data shows 57% had at least one abnormal screening result, 48% had at least one abnormal risk factor for heart disease, 42% had risk factors for osteoporosis and 27% had abnormal glucose readings.