OAK PARK, IL. – Sept. 9, 2021 – In another example of service to its surrounding community, West Suburban Medical Center will host a Prostate Cancer Screening Event Saturday Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place in the north parking lot of the hospital located at 3 Erie Court in Oak Park.
Hospital staff will provide PSA blood tests to eligible men ages 40 and older, free of charge, as a means of addressing a serious health threat.
The PSA test involves a quick and easy blood sample from a finger prick. The sample will be tested for the prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by normal as well as cancerous cells of the prostate gland. An elevated PSA level could be a sign of prostate cancer.
“All men are at risk for prostate cancer, which is easily detected and highly treatable when diagnosed at an early stage of development,” explained West Suburban CEO Barbara Martin. “West Suburban cares about everyone in our community, and we hope that the men in our surrounding areas will come out for their simple PSA test.”
In 2018, the United States reported 107,500 new cases of prostate cancer and 18,900 deaths from prostate cancer.
The community event also will offer free COVID-19 vaccinations and live music, health and wellness information for men and women, and an “Ask the Doctor” table. A “Color My World Station” will provide youth with coloring books and crayons.
A brief program at 11 a.m. will feature remarks by Martin as well as U.S. Rep. LaShawn Ford, a cancer survivor himself, and State Rep. Camille Lilly.
“We are so pleased to welcome Rep. Ford and Rep. Lilly to our campus,” Martin said. “They are important leaders of this community, and they care about the health of our neighbors as we do here at West Suburban.”
Another feature of the event will be door prizes – including two iPads to be given away to two men who receive the PSA blood test. Winners will be announced at the end of the event and do not have to be present to win.
Last month West Suburban partnered with the West Side Pastors Coalition for AIDS & Inner City Health for the 18th annual Back-to-School Health & Resource Fair. More than 120 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to local youth who visited a variety of health information booths situated on the West Suburban campus.
At a time when many hospitals no longer offer maternity services, West Suburban is recognized as one of the top maternity hospitals in the nation and among the top three in Illinois, by Newsweek and the Leapfrog Group, a national healthcare advisory group.
Caring for the Oak Park, Austin and Chicago communities since 1914, West Suburban also offers quality care in bariatrics, women’s health, orthopedics and more.