Councilwoman Sandra Ung, Assemblyman Ron Kim and Senator John Liu will host a free prostate cancer screening and community health fair in partnership with Vantage Medical Group on Saturday, April 8.
The event will take place at 158-06 Northern Blvd. in Murray Hill from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The three elected officials partnered with Vantage Medical Group to host a successful free prostate cancer screening event in October of 2022.
The event is open to the public and no appointments are required. The screenings are limited to men over the age of 40 who have not previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Health insurance is not required.
The screening consists of a blood test and physical exam, and the entire process takes 15 minutes from start to finish. Doctors and medical staff fluent in Mandarin, Korean and Spanish will be on site providing health-related information on prostate and other common types of cancer.
Summer Sharaf, CEO of Vantage Medical Group, said they’re spreading the word about the importance of early screening and detection of prostate cancer.
“Because prostate cancer treatment is more successful when the disease is detected early, we hope that men, particularly those at an increased risk, will take advantage of the free screening,” Sharaf said.
Ung is urging all men over the age 40 to take advantage of the opportunity to get screened.
“Our community has long lagged behind in being screened for cancer and other illnesses, and I have family members who didn’t get regularly screened and were later diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Ung said. “Prostate cancer has few symptoms until the advanced stages, but a simple 15-minute test can detect it early and potentially save a life.”
According to Kim, the earlier the disease is detected, the better the outcome of the treatment.
“Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in the U.S. It is a silent disease that oftentimes is only diagnosed because of an elevated PSA test,” Kim said. “That is why it is so important for our community members to take advantage of Vantage Health Group’s free prostate cancer screening.”
Liu said prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men in New York City.
“It often has no symptoms until the disease is advanced, but regular checkups can help discover and treat it early with high success rates. Getting tested is quick and easy and I strongly encourage men over 40, with or without insurance, to take advantage of this opportunity to get a free screening,” Liu said.
