MONROE, La. – Live Well Delta, a free cancer screening and education event, will return to northeast Louisiana next month following its inaugural iteration in 2022. This year’s community health event will be held Sat., April 29 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Monroe Civic Center (401 Lea Joyner Memorial Expressway). Residents from across the 12-parish Delta Region will be able to take advantage of free screenings for four types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, prostate and skin cancers.
“We are looking forward to another large turnout at Live Well Delta, now in its second year,” said Myra Gatling-Akers, Delta regional manager, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “In this largely rural area of the state, it is critical that residents take advantage of these no-cost screenings in a convenient and accessible setting.”
Last September, Mary Bird Perkins performed more than 152 cancer screenings at its inaugural Live Well Delta event. 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. The majority of Live Well Delta participants also reported being uninsured.
To highlight the crucial partnerships with community leaders, Mary Bird Perkins is pleased to name Shane Smiley, president, Ouachita Parish Policy Jury, as honorary chairman of this year’s event.
“As public servants, my colleagues and I have a desire to make a difference in our rural region of the state. One way we can do that is to highlight, recognize and support Mary Bird Perkins’ efforts to screen as many residents for cancer as possible,” said Smiley, a local anesthetist. “By coming to Monroe, and other communities in northeast Louisiana, they are bridging the gap that exists when it comes to healthcare services. That effort is already proving to pay dividends.”
Cancer screenings at Live Well Delta and other Cancer Center events are provided, free of charge, thanks to generous support from donors and community partners.
Should an abnormality be found a nurse navigator will assist screening participants with next steps, also at no cost, thanks to generous donors.
For more information about this event and other cancer screening opportunities in your community, please visit marybird.org/get-screened.
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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 10 centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Gonzales, Hammond, Houma, Opelousas, 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.