According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men in the United States aside from non-melanoma skin cancer. To promote early detection of prostate cancer, the Cancer Program at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health has scheduled free screenings in two locations across the region.
Kent County: A prostate cancer screening and forum will be held on Monday, September 24 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Mount Olive AME Church, 24852 Lambs Meadow Road in Worton. The free prostate cancer screenings will be provided by University of Maryland Shore Regional Health and Christopher Parry, DO, of UM Community Medical Group – Urology. To register for the forum, dinner and screening at the Worton location, call Andrea Edwards, RN, at 410-778-7970.
“Thanks to our various community partners including University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, Dr. Parry, Citizens Against Tobacco Smoke, MOTA and Mount Olive Church, our local health department is once again able to provide these free screenings to the men of Kent County and its surrounding areas,” says Edwards, a nurse with the Kent County Health Department. “We would like to encourage wives and daughters to bring their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers to this event, not just for the screening, but for the useful information about prostate cancer that will be shared. Everyone is welcome!”
Talbot County: On Wednesday, September 19, free prostate cancer screenings will be offered at University of Maryland Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton, 490 Cadmus Lane, Suite 104. The screenings, which will be offered from 5-8 p.m., are being coordinated by the Cancer Program in partnership with the Talbot County NAACP and the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center. Participating physicians include University of Maryland Shore Regional Health and UM Community Medical Group – affiliated urologists, R. Duane Cespedes, MD; John Foley, MD; Andrew Riggin, MD; and Christopher Runz, DO. To register for screening at the Easton location, call the Cancer Center at UM Shore Regional Health at 410-820-6800.
“One of our top priorities at University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is to provide members of our local communities with access to preventive care and screenings such as this one,” comments Nina Weisenborn, clinical research nurse, UM Shore Regional Health Cancer Center. “Our goal – not just for those patients with prostate cancer, but all cancers – is to make an early diagnosis so that evaluation and treatment can be initiated as early as possible in the disease process. This not only increases rates of survival – it ultimately helps us to create healthier communities for the patients we serve.”
Those interested in being screened are encouraged to discuss the testing with their primary care providers to determine if the PSA blood test will benefit them in the early detection of prostate cancer and other prostate health issues.
The screenings in both locations are open to the public. Uninsured and underinsured are welcome to participate. Pre-registration is required for screening at either location as space is limited.