May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month Cancer Center Offers Screenings

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital will provide four cancer screenings in May for colorectal, skin, oral and breast cancer

  (Covington, La.) Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital will provide four cancer screenings in May for colorectal, skin, oral and breast cancer. Screenings include:

• Colorectal and skin: 12:30-3:30 p.m. May 9 at Nielsen’s Pharmacy, 1619 S. Columbia St., Bogalusa
• Colorectal, oral and skin: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 17 at Louisiana Heart Hospital, 64030 Highway 434, Lacombe
• Breast and skin: May 15 at Lowe’s, 1280 N. Highway 190, Covington Breast: 9-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (888) 616-4687 or by visiting marybird.org/stph. Skin: 12:30-3:30 p.m.
• Skin: 5:30-7 p.m. May 29 at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at STPH, 1203 S. Tyler St., Covington

Each type of cancer screenings has its own guidelines: Breast A clinical breast exam will be provided to women of all ages. Mammograms are free and available for women 40 and older who have not been screened within the past 12 months. Insurance will be billed for mammograms. There will be no charge for women without insurance. Skin A visual exam will be performed by a physician and is available to anyone who has not had a physician perform a skin screening in the past 12 months. Colorectal Easy-to-use take-home kits will be distributed, but they do not replace a medical examination or other screenings. The screenings are available to men and women age 50 and older who have not been screened for colorectal cancer in the past 12 months. Oral A physician will check the patient’s face, neck, lips and entire mouth. The free screenings are made possible by donor gifts. Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital provides comprehensive cancer care that strives to positively impact the lives of cancer patients and their families on the Northshore. Services include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, as well as patient navigation, clinical trials and free community screenings. Not only do patients have access to these vital cancer services and high quality cancer care, but these services are readily available close to home.