Nearly 200 Cancer Screenings Conducted at Mary Bird Perkins’ Annual Live Well Baton Rouge Event

Screening participant at Live Well Baton Rouge
Katharine Ledoux, nurse practitioner, conducts a skin cancer screening for a Live Well Baton Rouge participant on Saturday, May 13 in Baton Rouge, La.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center conducted 170 free cancer screenings at its annual Live Well Baton Rouge community health event held May 13 in downtown Baton Rouge. Participants received screenings for breast, colorectal, prostate and skin cancers while also benefiting from other health, nutrition and early prevention and detection resources.

“We are thrilled with the turnout for this year’s Live Well Baton Rouge event,” said Renea Duffin, vice president, cancer support and outreach, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “To see so many people choose to get multiple screenings is encouraging. When members of our community take advantage of these no-cost preventive and educational resources that Mary Bird Perkins provides, we can detect cancers earlier, leading to better treatment outcomes.”

In total, 170 cancer screenings were completed, including:

  • 56 colorectal cancer screenings
  • 53 skin cancer screenings
  • 41 breast cancer screenings
  • 20 prostate cancer screenings

91 individuals were screened during the four-hour event, with four people requiring navigation. Of the total participants:

  • 61% reported being uninsured
  • 71% reported not having a primary care physician
  • 42% reported having never been screened for cancer

Live Well Baton Rouge is presented annually by Karnival Krewe de Louisiana (KKdL). For more than 30 years, Mary Bird Perkins has had the support of KKdL. The Krewe’s annual Mardi Gras ball raises funds for the Cancer Center, with every dollar staying local to help fund services and programs, including screening initiatives, patient navigation and other patient assistance resources. This year’s ball raised $375,000.

For more information about this event and other cancer screening opportunities in your community, visit 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 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.