Far Rockaway residents learned about healthy living and received screenings for serious health conditions at a cancer awareness event sponsored by Population Health’s Mobile Health Unit, St. John’s Medical Group (SJMG), St. John’s ICARE Foundation and National Grid on Sept. 16.
Providers from SJMG, Margaret O. Carpenter Women’s Health Center, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Imaging and Radiology, as well as registered dietitians, were present for the day.
According to 2018’s NYC Community Health Profile for the Rockaways and Broad Channel, lung, breast and colorectal cancer were recognized as the three leading causes of cancer-related premature deaths in the area of south Queens. The event focused on raising awareness, offering cancer screening tests and providing cancer prevention information to the community in an effort to reduce premature deaths in the area.
St. John’s Population Mobile Health Unit operates throughout the Rockaway Peninsula, the Five Towns and beyond, offering flu and COVID-19 shots, blood pressure monitoring and other services.
“Outreach events such as this enforce St. John’s mission to provide healthcare and health education to the public we serve,” said Michael P. Luyckx, administrator for Cancer and Imaging Services at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. “We want to meet people where they are to provide the preventative care and information they need to build healthier families and healthier communities.”
Find out where the Mobile Health Unit will be in the upcoming weeks here. National Grid co-sponsored the cancer awareness event and provided information for the community on smarter, cleaner and more resilient energy solutions that are being met in current projects throughout the Rockaways.
St. John’s ICARE Foundation, which stands for Innovation, Compassion, Respect and Empathy, raises awareness and funds for the support of equipment, capital projects, special programs, and community initiatives. To donate, go to its website or call 718-869-8062 for more information.
