Free Prostate Cancer Screening

The Cancer Program of Mary Bird Perkins and St. Tammany Parish Hospital to Hold Free Prostate Cancer Screening

  (Covington, La.) A free community-based prostate cancer screening will be held on Saturday, August 20 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Community Wellness Center, 1505 N. Florida Street, Covington, Louisiana. Registration is required. Please call (985) 898-4581. “We are dedicated to educating people on the importance of screenings, looking for cancer even when a person may not have any symptoms and working to make screenings for the most common cancers available in the communities we serve,” said Chryl Corizzo, Cancer Program Director, STPH. According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. This screening is for men age 45 and older who do not have a doctor or have not been screened in the past 12 months. The screening is performed by a urologist and includes a PSA blood test and physical exam. No fasting is required. “People in Louisiana don’t get cancer more than the national average, but people here do die from it more than the national average. Our death rate is disproportionate,” said Charity Gay, Region 9 Early Detection Education Specialist, Mary Bird Perkins, “This is partly due to the need for more early detection interventions. Cancers are being diagnosed too late. Screenings offer the potential to diagnose cancer at its earliest stage when better outcomes are possible and more treatment options are available.” For over 40 years, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been solely dedicated to fighting cancer. Its mission is to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer through expert treatment, compassionate care, early detection, research and education. For nearly 60 years, St. Tammany Parish Hospital has provided world-class healthcare close to home. Its mission as a not-for-profit hospital is to provide integrated healthcare services to the community of western St. Tammany Parish and surrounding areas. Mary Bird Perkins has worked closely with St. Tammany Parish Hospital since opening its Covington center in 1998. Together, through a new and innovative partnership, The Cancer Program of Mary Bird Perkins and St. Tammany Parish Hospital will be providing comprehensive cancer care that strives to positively impact the lives of cancer patients and their families. Not only will patients have access to the full spectrum of vital cancer services and high quality cancer care, but it will be readily available where it matters most — close to home, friends and family.