Minneapolis Urban Laegue Presents “Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day” Friday, June 20, 2008
Join the Minneapolis Urban League for an evening of information about Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, featuring Mr. Robert Samuels, the first African American Vice President of a Major Bank in the United States and Prostate Cancer Survivor, Advocate and Educator. June 20, 2008 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North.
The following article is By Tom Valeo, Special to the Times
Published February 26, 2008 in the St. Petersburg Times.
Screenings designed to save men’s lives
A retired banker sets up free annual tests for prostate cancer and other diseases.
TAMPA - As a banking executive and then into retirement, Robert Samuels received a first-class physical every year.
Yet, in 1994, just four months after a thorough workup, he discovered he had prostate cancer. He was unsure if he had received a prostate cancer screening.
“I was 56 at the time, and I had no symptoms,” Samuels said. “A colleague mentioned that he had just been screened for prostate cancer, and I called my doctor back and asked, ‘Did you test me?’ ”
He went in for the prostate-specific antigen test and found that his level was 47. Normal is between 0 and 4.
Samuels was successfully treated, but he has become an advocate for prostate cancer screening, especially for African-American men. According to the American Cancer Society, the prostate cancer death rate for African-American men is more than twice that of white men.
To encourage men to get tested, Samuels created the Florida Prostate Cancer Network.
“The first year, 750 men showed up,” Samuels said. “In the seven years we’ve been doing this, 10,000 men have been screened.”
And since access to medical care is a big reason why many people don’t get screened for the disease, the forum also provides “safety nets,” as Samuels calls them.
“We invite the VA Veterans Affairs to participate, and people from Medicare and the county’s indigent health care program,” Samuels said.
In addition, the hospitals that conduct the screenings - St. Joseph’s, Tampa General and Moffitt - will help people find a way to get medical care no matter what their financial status.
Brian Rivers, executive director of the FPCN, has conducted research aimed at determining what prevents men from undergoing prostate cancer screening and seeking treatment.
“I think the biggest factor is lack of awareness and knowledge,” Rivers said. “One of the principle barriers to screening is that men just aren’t aware of their risk. There also are policy barriers, such as lack of insurance and lack of access to health care.”
The unpleasantness of getting tested, however, does not seem to be a big deterrent.
“Those who have been through it may talk about the discomfort of a digital rectal exam,” Rivers said, “but men are willing to endure one or two minutes of discomfort. Education is the key. Education is what generates increased awareness and empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their health.”
“1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day”
On June 20, 2008 at the Minneapolis Urban League, the MUL Social Wellness Cluster and MUL President Mr. Clarence Hightower welcome world renowned Prostate Cancer National Spokesperson Mr. Robert Samuels to the Minneapolis Urban League for the “1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day.” This event will take place in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
The event will be a light variety of food and beverages catered by the Twin Cities #1 healthy catering company - “Lisa Anderson catering”, www.lacateringmpls.com.
We encourage all men in the Twin Cities to come out and hear what Mr. Samuels has to say, the life his saves with important information could be yours. For more information contact the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 986-0010.
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
| TrackBack URI
You can also bookmark
this on del.icio.us or check the cosmos
