The Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center completed 299 free cancer screenings throughout 2024. This included 250 skin cancer screenings, 35 Prostate Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screenings, 9 lung cancer screenings and 5 Cologuard screenings. These free screenings are available through the Centra Foundation, the Centra Cancer Fund, and other area providers and partners.
Additionally, the Centra Foundation supported 271 free mammogram screenings through the Mammograms Annually A Must (MAAM) Fund. This fund raises awareness of the importance of annual mammograms and provides free screening and diagnostic testing for uninsured and underinsured women in the region. Below is information about each screening:
- For skin cancer screenings, Centra partners with local dermatologists who volunteer their time to complete the screenings. Once the patient completes the screening, they are told whether they need to follow up with a dermatologist if anything looks cancerous.
- The PSA screenings are simple blood draws for male community members who meet the criteria for screenings. A PSA test measures the protein level produced by the prostate gland's cancerous and noncancerous tissue.
- Central Virginia Imaging participated in Centra’s Lung Cancer Awareness Day in November, where nine patients received lung cancer screenings.
- Cologuard is a colon cancer screening test that looks for changes in DNA and blood in the stool to detect color cancer or precancerous polyps.
- The MAAM Fund is supported through donations from community members. Free screening events are held throughout the year, and in addition, MAAM funds are utilized for any uninsured patient presenting for a screening mammogram any day of the year.
