Family Health Day combines detection, education and fun
(Baton Rouge, La.) Baker residents recently took proactive measures to protect their health by participating in Family Health Day at the Baker Heritage Museum and Culture Center. Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center provided breast, prostate and colorectal cancer screenings to attendees free of charge at the inaugural event.
“With this relaxed, family-friendly environment, we want to take some of the fear out of cancer education and early detection,” said Johnnay Benjamin, the Cancer Center’s early detection and education director. “Finding cancer early is the best offense when it comes to fighting the disease, and events like Family Health Day fulfill this important need in the Baker community.”
Following is an overview of screening statistics from Family Health Day:
- Over two dozen received cancer screenings
- Majority of the screenings performed were for breast and prostate cancer
- Eight participants had abnormal findings detected from screenings and are currently being supported by a patient navigator for additional testing and follow-up care
“We are so glad that with this partnership with Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, we are able to help provide potentially life-saving services here in Baker,” said Cynthia Grimes, museum director. “The Baker Heritage Museum is proud to advance the health and wellbeing of our community.”
To speak to the importance of early detection, event champions were on hand, including Baker Mayor Darnell Waites, a prostate cancer survivor and Lynette Matusicky and Betty Dunn, breast cancer survivors.
Special thanks to the sponsors of Family Health Day: City of Baker, Baker Printing, Joe Williams, Raemel Richardson, Winn Dixie, Walmart and Shopper’s Value.
The Cancer Center offers prevention and early detection services year round. For information on upcoming screenings, call (225) 215-1234 or visit marybirdlake.org.
About Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center
As a regional destination for cancer care, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center offers the most advanced technology and services provided by a dedicated team of nationally-recognized oncology experts. The Cancer Center provides best-practice, comprehensive care at every stage of the cancer journey, including disease site-specific multidisciplinary care teams, a robust clinical research program, extensive supportive care services and is the only facility in the Gulf South with the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife®Icon™. The American College of Surgeons has named the Cancer Center a recipient of its prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for three consecutive survey cycles. As a nonprofit organization, donor generosity is essential to sustaining the mission of improving survivorship and lessening the burden of cancer for so many throughout Southeast Louisiana and beyond. For more information on the Cancer Center, and how you can become involved, please visit marybirdlake.org.