Vista Screens 70 for Prostate Cancer
Of the hundreds and hundreds of churchgoers who attended services this past Sunday, Nov. 6, at Jesus Name Apostolic Church in Waukegan, approximately 70 men in the congregation left with more than the normal feeling of spiritual inspiration. They also received peace of mind after receiving free prostate cancer screenings by a team from Vista Health System that were provided next door after services at the Family First Center of Lake County.
Jesus Name Apostolic Church enjoys one of the largest congregations in the area and has a predominantly African-American membership. Plus, the Family First Center is affiliated with the church and provides a wide range of community services. At the same time, Vista is the leading healthcare provider in Waukegan and the surrounding communities and was looking to raise awareness about prostate cancer among African-American men. So, Vista provided the medical team of physicians, nurses, phlebotomists and lab technicians, while the center hosted the event and the church heavily promoted it to the membership.
Pastor John I. Caples, the well-known leader of Jesus Name Apostolic Church, enthusiastically supported the free screening. He even invited Dr. Sutchin Patel, a Urologist from Vista, to step up to the pulpit during services this past Sunday to talk about the importance of prostate screening.
“We were delighted to partner with the Family First Center and Jesus Name Apostolic Church to offer this service to help reach African-American men aged 40 and over who might be at risk for prostate cancer,” said Nancy Herchenbach, Vista's Executive Director of Oncology Services. “We pulled together a great team of volunteers to register everyone, draw blood, provide information and perform the tests. Dr. Sutchin Patel spoke to the group throughout the day, plus we also had Dr. Alpesh Patel, a Family Medicine practitioner, on hand to answer more questions.”
This screening was a one-time, free service available to any adult male on a walk-in basis. All samples are tested in the lab facility at Vista Medical Center East with results sent directly to the patient's primary care physician.