For Immediate Release	Contact: Joyce Brennan
September 25, 2008	508-961-5270
	brennanj@southcoast.org
Get this release in Word format

DARTMOUTH, Mass. — Southcoast Hospitals is offering a free prostate cancer awareness program and screenings on Wednesday, October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Southcoast Oncology Center, 480 Hawthorne St. in Dartmouth. Appointments required by calling 508-979-5858 Ext. 4001.

Who should attend?

According to the National Cancer Institute, all men are at risk for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men in the United States. The best defense against prostate cancer is early detection and annual screenings. Men over the age of 40, and particularly men of African-American descent and men with a family history of prostate cancer, are urged to take advantage of these free screenings.

Physicians and health professionals who have extensive experience in the detection and treatment of prostate cancer will staff Southcoast's free screenings. The prostate cancer screening tests consist of two parts, the prostate specific antigen test (PSA) and a digital rectal exam, both of which take less than five minutes to conduct.

"Early prostate cancer usually does not have any symptoms and can go undetected without regular testing. By receiving simple blood screenings and exams, prostate cancer can be detected five or more years earlier than it would have been detected otherwise," said Frances Fuller, RN, MS, Director of Oncology & Specialty Services for Southcoast Hospitals Group. "Early detection is the key to successful treatment."

About Southcoast

Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty and heart rhythm services, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery and advanced imaging services. Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the community to provide services.

More information is available onlinwww.southcoast.org.

Media Contact

Joyce Faria Brennan
Public Information Officer
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org