Cancer Center’s premier health event serves 12-parish Delta Region in northeast Louisiana
MONROE, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center launched its popular Live Well community health event in the Delta region in September with resounding success. The free cancer screening and heath education fair is now present in five communities across Louisiana – Baton Rouge, Covington, Gonzales, Houma and Monroe – and will expand to Natchez, Mississippi in 2023.
“For several years, the Cancer Center has made it a priority to remove barriers to early detection and prevention resources in this area of the state while also improving access to critical cancer screenings, and Live Well Delta is just the latest step in that effort,” said Myra Gatling-Akers, Delta regional manager, early detection and education, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “Our inaugural event was a huge success that showed both the need and desire for these services in rural communities.”
Screenings for breast, colorectal, prostate and skin cancers were available, in addition to biometric screenings and glucose tests provided by Vantage Health Plan.
- 84 participants participated in a total of 152 screenings, with nine requiring additional navigation
- More than 57 percent of participants had never been screened for cancer previously, while an additional 19 percent reported not having been screened in more than three years
- More than 51 percent of participants were uninsured
All cancer screenings were provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of community sponsors and donors.
Live Well Delta also featured the Cancer Center’s newest mobile medical unit, a state-of-the-art, $1 million clinic on wheels made possible through grants from the state of Louisiana.
“Adding a third mobile medical unit to our fleet is going to allow us to reach so many more residents,” said Renea Duffin, vice president, cancer support and outreach, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “This clinic will primarily travel throughout the 12-parish region to support Prevention on the Go screening events from Monroe to Lake Providence and in between.”
To take charge of your health and schedule your free, convenient cancer screenings at any Mary Bird Perkins event, visit pogo.marybird.com today.
About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at nine centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma, Gonzales, Slidell, and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. Mary Bird Perkins has a strategic affiliation with OneOncology and the largest radiation and medical oncology groups from across the area including exclusive partnerships with Southeastern Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group, which provides radiation therapy throughout Mary Bird Perkins’ service areas, Northshore Oncology Associates, serving St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, specifically the communities of Covington and Slidell and Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates, which services the Greater Baton Rouge area. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.