Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington Hosts Successful Free Cancer Screening Event

(Covington, La.) – Many Northshore residents took proactive measures to protect their health by participating in Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s fourth annual Live Well Northshore event at the Covington Trailhead. Funded by the Ben Blanchard Memorial Foundation, Northshore residents received screenings for four different types of cancers and other health screenings at no cost at the Oct. 23 event.

Live Well cancer screenings included breast, colorectal, prostate and skin. More than 150 cancer screenings took place resulting in 13 participants receiving an abnormal finding at the time of their screening. Any participants who received an abnormal finding are being assisted by a Mary Bird Perkins patient navigator to ensure necessary follow-up care is promptly accessed.

“Nationally, we are seeing a lack of access to healthcare, especially cancer prevention, education and early detection services in local communities due to time constraints or other commitments, and unfortunately, this can result in cancers going undetected,” said Brittny Costella, early detection regional manager, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington. “Events like Live Well Northshore provide us the opportunity to offer convenient education and early detection on the weekend for the local community in a safe and accessible environment.”

The Ben Blanchard Memorial Foundation is committed to supporting Mary Bird Perkins, where Blanchard received a portion of his treatments, along with other organizations and causes that were special to him.

“The Ben Blanchard Memorial Foundation’s generous partnership with the Cancer Center is absolutely critical to the success of Live Well Northshore,” said Erica Kelt, director of development, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington. “Bringing prevention and early detection to the community requires many resources, and the Foundation helps us reach as many people as possible in a family-friendly environment.”

Due to COVID-19, the Cancer Center took extra steps to ensure the safety of both participants and staff. A number of practices were put in place to ensure the safety of everyone, such as increased frequency of cleaning and disinfecting practices for high-touch areas and appointments for all screenings were required to ensure social distancing. All screening participants and staff were required to wear masks.

The Cancer Center offers screenings throughout the year. For more information, call (985) 276-6810 or visit marybird.org/covington.

Photo caption: Pictured at the Live Well Northshore event are (l-r): Danielle Mack, Brittny Costella, Chris Blanchard, Mark Blanchard (back), Susan Blanchard, Perry Williams (back), Henry Benjamin Blanchard, Caroline Blanchard, Heather Johnson, Erica Kelt, Mike Miranda