Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Urology Health Foundation will offer a free prostate cancer screening for men 40 and older on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Regional Clinic (Stabler Clinic) at 300 North College Street in Greenville. No appointment is necessary for the event, which aims to promote early detection and save lives.

“If you’re diagnosed early, there’s about a 95% five-year survival rate,” said Dr. Thomas Moody, President of the Urology Health Foundation. “We began to realize that there were so many deaths, because the people here weren’t getting screened, especially in the Black Belt.”

According to a media release from the Urology Health Foundation, Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men, and African-American men are at particularly high risk. Alabama has historically reported some of the nation’s highest prostate cancer death rates, especially among African-American men. In response, the Urology Health Foundation launched a statewide free screening initiative in 2007 focused on underserved areas like Alabama’s Black Belt region.

“We’ve been doing this for almost 20 years,” Moody said. “Originally the National Prostate Cancer Coalition gave grades on prostate cancer. The death rate in Alabama was second in the nation and first for Black men. That’s what really got us started.”

Moody explained that many men in rural Alabama have limited or no access to regular healthcare.

“A lot of the guys that come to see us have never seen a doctor or haven’t been to a doctor in years,” Moody said. “We knew there was a problem, and these people weren’t coming in, so we decided to go where the people were.”

The screening involves a simple blood test known as PSA, which measures prostate-specific antigen levels, and a physical exam called a digital rectal exam (DRE). Combined, the tests take about 10 minutes to complete. Elevated PSA levels or abnormal findings in the DRE can indicate the presence of prostate cancer, often before symptoms appear.

“If the person coming to see us has no insurance, we can help facilitate getting them to Birmingham with things like gas cards,” Moody added. “Some doctors will even provide free care. Our goal is that no financial barriers prevent getting checked and treated.”

Executive Director Sherry Wilson has been part of the effort from the start.

“I was with Dr. Moody from the beginning,” Wilson said. “We saw the numbers and said, what can we do about this? We have a responsibility to do something.”

Starting in Dallas County, the program has now expanded statewide. 

“We got with a gentleman with the state of Alabama that collects this data and he has definitely noticed a decrease over the years,” Wilson said. “So maybe some of the things we’re doing are helping those numbers to drop.”

Wilson emphasized the importance of starting screenings early. 

“It is so important to start at age 40,” she said. “To get that benchmark number and watch it throughout the years because in the beginning stages, prostate cancer has no symptoms.”

For more information about the screening, contact the Butler County Health Department or visit www.UrologyHealthFoundation.org.