COLUMBIA, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, through its Prevention on the Go program, will host FREE colorectal, prostate and skin cancer screenings on Thursday, October 6 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Mac’s Fresh Market, 7105 U.S. Highway 165 in Columbia. Residents from across Caldwell Parish and surrounding communities are invited to take advantage of this free cancer screening opportunity.
All screenings are available to those who have not been screened for cancer in the past 12 months. Appointments are required for all screenings. To make an appointment, please call (318) 414-9758. If an abnormality is found, a nurse navigator will assist screening participants with next steps.
“We are so excited to bring this free cancer screening opportunity to Caldwell Parish,” said Myra Gatling-Akers, regional manager, early detection and education, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “For some rural communities across Northeast Louisiana, finding access to local cancer screenings and preventive care can prove difficult. At Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, we believe every community across the Delta region deserves access to these services – no matter the community’s ZIP code. We encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of this free cancer screening opportunity. Bring a family member, friend or neighbor with you. You could save a life!”
Louisiana has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the nation, and this is due to lack of access to care, delayed diagnosis and treatment, limited educational awareness and low utilization of preventative services. Early detection is key when it comes to successfully battling and treating cancer. So far in 2022, through the Prevention on the Go program, Mary Bird Perkins has hosted 48 free cancer screening events and screened nearly 400 participants in communities across the Delta Region.
Learn more about Mary Bird Perkins and find other screening opportunities near you by visiting marybird.org/get-screened.
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.