More than 200 people from the community attended Hackensack Meridian Health’s Annual Men’s Health Event for their well-being on Sept. 19 at Felician University’s campus in Lodi.
The event brought essential health screenings directly to the public to combat conditions like prostate cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. Participants received comprehensive testing at no cost, as it was coordinated by the Cancer Community Outreach & Engagement Program at Hackensack Meridian Health’s John Theurer Cancer Center—alongside the world-renowned Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) and its Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute.
The group, under the direction of Lisa Carter-Bawa, Ph.D., MPH, APRN, ANP-C, FAAN, director of the CPPCI, and also the deputy associate director, Community Outreach and Engagement for the Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, made potentially life-saving services. (John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of the Georgetown Lombardi cancer consortium.) The final totals included:
- PSA Screenings: 147 screened, with 10 elevated results
- A1C Screenings: 190 screened, with 92 elevated results
- Cholesterol Screenings: 175 screened, with 72 elevated results
- Blood Pressure Screenings: 101 screened, with 50 elevated results
- FIT Kits: 98 distributed for colorectal health
"Taking care of your health shouldn't be a burden and cost should never be a barrier," said Carter-Bawa. "That’s why it is so important to offer these health screening events for our communities for free. By investing in the health of our community, we’re investing in the future."
Fifty volunteers and collaboration between 24 community organizations made the event possible. Beyond medical testing, attendees were also offered other support, including free haircuts provided by participating barbers, food distributed through a Goya-sponsored food drive, and clothing provided through a community clothing drive.
HMH partnered with Quest Diagnostics, which coordinated the free diagnostic testing for all participants as well as BD (Becton Dickinson), which sponsored the cancer prevention screenings.