Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Unity Medical Center and the Dava Foundation are partnering to offer free prostate cancer screenings to the Manchester community on Saturday Sept. 20 to raise awareness about prostate health and early detection.

The screenings will take place at the Manchester Rural Health Clinic located at 482 Interstate Dr. from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Men ages 55-69 are encouraged to get screened, especially if experiencing any urinary trouble or if they have a family history of prostate issues. African American males are encouraged to get screened as early as 40 with a family history or 45 without one.

The screening involves a blood test to check Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels which can indicate prostate cancer.

Unity Medical Center Chief of Surgery James VanWinkle encourages people to come and get screened even if they aren’t having any issues.

“If they don’t have any problems, then they don’t think that they need to be seen,” he explained. “So when we do our screenings, same thing for women and mammograms for breast cancer and pap smears for cervical cancer, the goal is to find people that have no problems so that you can treat it before it becomes a problem.”

VanWinkle also notes that early detection can strengthen the odds of treatment working.

“It’s one of those things where once you’re treated, you’re glad you’re treated, and it can save a lot of heartache in the future,” he said. “When you get on it early, it’s a very, very high success rate.”

You can secure an appointment by calling 931-450-1966.