Free Health Screenings Come to San Rafael's Canal Neighborhood, Aug. 24–25

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Aug. 19, 2026 — Canal Alliance and MiSalud Health will host a free, two-day community health screening event on Aug. 24–25 at Canal Alliance's Neighborhood Location, 91 Larkspur St. in San Rafael. Appointments are available from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. both days, and registration is available in advance online.

The event offers free checks for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight, BMI and waist measurement — no fasting required, and no cost, copays or hidden fees. Afterward, a MiSalud Health coach will sit down with each participant, in Spanish or English, to explain what the results mean and offer personalized next steps.

For many families, that conversation goes further than the numbers. Canal Alliance and MiSalud Health have made talking about blood pressure and blood sugar a deliberate on-ramp to a second, often harder conversation — about stress, grief and mental health — at a moment when both fear of seeking medical care and funding cuts to social support programs have made it harder for families to get support.

MiSalud Health coaches — who include physicians, dietitians and psychologists licensed in Mexico as well as U.S.-based providers — will be on-site throughout the event to walk participants through their results and connect them with follow-up care and mental health support if needed.

The screenings come as new data underscore why this matters. A MiSalud Health analysis of 30,000 telehealth consultations and 6,000 biometric screenings among Latino community members earlier this year found that 9 in 10 had a cholesterol profile requiring clinical attention, fewer than half of men screened had normal blood pressure, only 15% of men and women screened were at a normal weight, and more than 40% were at increased risk for diabetes. Nearly 7 in 10 women screened were found to be at extreme metabolic risk based on waist measurement.

Event Details
What: Free community health screenings — blood pressure & heart health, blood sugar & cholesterol, weight, BMI & waist measurement
When: Aug. 24–25, 2026, 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. both days
Where: Canal Alliance Neighborhood Location, 91 Larkspur St., San Rafael, CA 94901
Cost: Free — no copays, no hidden fees, no fasting required
Language: Results reviewed in English or Spanish
Register: https://form.jotform.com/261894753954171
Media Availability
Interviews are available with:

Richard M. Martinez, Chief Program Officer, Canal Alliance — on how Canal Alliance is sustaining mental and physical health services through funding cuts, and why physical screenings are proving to be an effective doorway into mental health conversations.
MiSalud Health clinicians, including health coaches who are physicians and psychologists licensed in Mexico, who can speak to the connection between physical and mental health and the statistics above.
Screening event participants — coordination available on request.
Media contact: Liz DeForest for MiSalud Health | liz.deforest [at] misalud.ai | 315.454.7947 (cell)

About Canal Alliance
Canal Alliance has supported Marin County's immigrant and Latino communities since 1982, offering free and low-cost services in individual and family wellbeing, housing, legal rights and safety, education and career training, and community leadership — helping families break barriers and build opportunity. Learn more at canalalliance.org.

About MiSalud Health
MiSalud Health is a hybrid on-site and telehealth care provider built for the Latino community in the U.S. MiSalud pairs on-site biometric screenings and a mobile diagnostic lab with on-demand virtual care from health coaches — physicians, dietitians and psychologists licensed in Mexico, alongside U.S.-based providers — in both Spanish and English. Learn more at misaludhealth.com.