In a groundbreaking transfer to fight prostate most cancers amongst males of African descent in Canada, the Walnut Basis (TWF) is increasing its attain by launching a “Detect and Defend” free cell well being clinic in Oshawa. Scheduled for April 6, 2024, on the Durham Neighborhood Well being Centre, 115 Grassmere Ave, this initiative marks the primary time TWF has ventured into Durham to serve our group.
Prostate most cancers poses a major menace to Black males, who could also be genetically predisposed to the illness, face larger dangers of growing it, and usually tend to expertise extreme illness at a youthful age. TWF, a non-profit group based in 2007, is devoted to elevating consciousness within the Black group about prostate most cancers and the significance of early detection.
“We wish to pull out the stops to get males out, and to get the message out in regards to the significance of screening,” mentioned Anthony Henry, president of TWF. “Early detection saves lives.”
The Oshawa clinic is a part of a collection that features collaborations with numerous organizations, together with Princess Margaret Most cancers Centre, TAIBU Neighborhood Well being Centre, and the Durham Neighborhood Well being Centre. These clinics particularly goal Black males coming into their 40s, offering them with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing at no cost.
“The goal is 40-year-old Black males who haven’t had a PSA check previously 12 months and who don’t have a household physician,” Henry defined. “We expect part of the issue is that a few of these guys don’t have household medical doctors.”
Along with prostate screening, the clinic gives blood stress and blood sugar testing, providers that might price $40 to $45 if achieved independently. “Simply quarter-hour can save your life,” Henry emphasised, highlighting the significance of those fast and accessible screenings.
The PSA check is an easy blood check that may present an early prognosis of prostate most cancers. The advice for Black males is to start out screening at 40, in comparison with the broader inhabitants’s suggestion of beginning at 50.
Henry, who has a private connection to the illness with 4 relations impacted by prostate most cancers, emphasizes the significance of realizing one’s household historical past and getting screened early. “Any person like myself, I’m one among 4 relations impacted by prostate most cancers. My father died from this and, a giant a part of the explanation for that’s as a result of he wasn’t screened,” he mentioned.
The Ontario authorities doesn’t cowl PSA testing for all Ontarians via OHIP, which is why advocacy for common PSA testing is a part of ongoing efforts by TWF and different organizations. As an added incentive to encourage participation within the clinic, males present process screening can even be provided a meal, a free haircut or massages.
The “Detect and Defend” prostate screening clinic in Oshawa will start at 10 am and run till 3 pm, offering a significant service within the struggle in opposition to prostate most cancers throughout the Durham Neighborhood Well being Centre.
