Health

Free DNA tests offered to 10,000 Floridians


A hospital group has partnered with a private genetics company and is now offering free DNA tests to 10,000 Floridians.

Researchers at AdventHealth in Orlando said the DNA test screens for an inherited heart condition that can lead to high cholesterol and heart attacks if left untreated. 

Participants who screen positive in the program – called ‘WholeMe’ – will get a second blood test to confirm the diagnosis, get to talk with a genetic counselor at no charge and be put in touch with a cardiologist.

But ethicists warn that participants need to be aware their data may be used for purposes other than their personal health care.

AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida, has partnered with a genetics company called Helix to offer free DNA tests for an inherited heart condition that can lead to heart attacks to 10,000 residents (file image)

AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida, has partnered with a genetics company called Helix to offer free DNA tests for an inherited heart condition that can lead to heart attacks to 10,000 residents (file image)

Helix, the genomics company, has already rolled out a similar program in Nevada, involving 30,000 participants. 

Now partnering with AdventHealth in Florida, which has 46 hospital campuses in nine states, the company hopes to extend its reach further, quickly. 

On its website, Helix said it doesn’t sell participants’ information for any reason. 

But the company did say it evaluates requests by law enforcement and other legal requests for data on a case-by-case basis. 

Regardless, Dr Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor in the department of population health at NYU School of Medicine, says: anytime you are offered something for free, it’s a good to be wary – particularly when it involves your DNA.

‘Sometimes that DNA is sold to third parties for research,’ he told DailyMail.com. 

‘It’s not inherently wrong to want to research DNA, but you’re not going to be paid or getting any money.’ 

The group says the WholeMe project is being overseen by an institutional review board to ensure privacy measures are in place and that the gathered data is protected by HIPAA privacy safeguards.

The data from the program will be used for other research purposes as the health system grows its newly minted genomics program, but AdventHealth insist researchers will seek additional consent if they want the data for additional studies.   

Detectives in a growing number of high-profile cases have identified suspects by entering crime-scene DNA profiles into databases that became popular as a way for people to document their family trees.

This is how the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department linked 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo Jr to some of the rapes and murders committed by the Golden State Killer in the 1970s and 1980s.

Past studies of people who got doctor-ordered DNA test results about disease risks have been mixed.

Several show that DNA information produced no significant effect on participants’ diet, physical activity, drinking alcohol or quitting smoking.

And earlier this month, The Guardian reported that several women were told they had gene mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer due faulty home genetic test results.  

Researchers hope the follow-up contact will steer participants toward healthier choices.

‘It’s not providing them the results, and they’re then on their own,’ Dr Wes Walker, associate chief medical information officer at AdventHealth. ‘It really becomes part of their overall care.’

Dr Caplan says it’s a good idea to speak to a primary care doctor before deciding to undergo this screening.    

‘You can ask your doctor: “Is there for a reason for me to get tested or can I get one where I can look at my whole health profile?”

‘It doesn’t really make sense that they’re testing for this one condition. You can also stand on a bathroom scale and that can tell you about your health.’

The news come as Florida state officials warn residents to beware of scammers  offering free DNA tests in exchange for sensitive information, reported WJCT.

Callers have allegedly pretended to be from Medicare and ask victims for their Medicare number and Social Security numbers.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis warned that government programs do not call people at random and recommended letting calls from unrecognized numbers go to voicemail



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