Prevention on the Go

On the go…It’s an accurate phrase to describe today’s high-speed world, and how we literally bring screenings to the public. At the Cancer Center, we’re constantly transforming to keep pace with changing times to reach more people and save more lives. And we won’t stop until cancer is no more. In this spirit, our early detection and outreach program is evolving and being renamed Prevention on the Go, reflecting an innovative and mobile-approach to bringing cancer education and screenings to people wherever they are. There are two primary settings for Prevention on the Go, the community and the workplace.

Community:

For more than 15 years, the Cancer Center’s early detection and outreach team, recently nationally-recognized for its innovative practices, has traveled in its Early Bird mobile clinics to reach uninsured individuals and others disproportionately impacted by cancer in their own communities. However, many people are now accessing our services and demand continues to rise. Through Prevention on the Go, we are more broadly targeting the communities we serve in an effort to impact the highest number of people possible. For example, one of the programs we’ll soon launch is the “pop-up screening.” This is a new concept where the Cancer Center’s social media followers will be notified, and asked to share with their friends, that the Early Bird will be located and providing screening services at a specific place and time. These may happen near other events in a busy area or high traffic locations where participants can pop-in for a screening. For information on Prevention on the Go’s community program, contact Johnnay Benjamin at jbenjamin@marybird.com.

Workplace:

Last year, the Albemarle Foundation made a generous gift to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to launch an initiative, expanding its community outreach program to the corporate environment. Research shows that many insured people aren’t accessing cancer screenings because they don’t have the time, among other reasons. The Cancer Center’s workplace program eliminates many of these barriers, working with employers to bring education and screenings to their team members. After a successful pilot phase in 2016, the formal workplace program has launched and several companies are already signed-up. We see this as an opportunity to add a critical element to our outreach efforts and connect more people with lifesaving cancer screenings. For information on Prevention on the Go’s workplace program, contact Charity Gay at cgay@marybird.com.