September 27: Men’s Health Fair At HU Center To Combat Rising Prostate Cancer

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Prostate cancer is a big deal in Black communities to the point that the upcoming Men’s Health Awareness Fair at Hampton University will feature two Hampton Roads mayors, an NFL Player, Hampton’s president, and the founder of Hampton University Proton, as well as the founder of Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum.

The slight decrease in the mortality rate for Black men can be traced back to ongoing early detection and treatment efforts. Organizers of the Men’s Health Fair have performed this feat in the past and will perform it again this year on Sept. 27, from, 9 a.m. – noon, at the Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute.  Men will receive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, digital rectal exams (DREs), and health education.

Participants will brush shoulders with their friends, neighbors and colleagues. They will also hear from Lt. Gen. Darrell K. Williams (USA, Ret.), president of Hampton University , Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones, Hampton Mayor Jimmy Gray, Hampton University Head Football Coach Trenton Boykin, former Cleveland Browns Player Wali Rainer, Dr. Christopher Sinesi, medical director of Hampton Proton, Dr. William R. Harvey, founder of Hampton Proton, and  Charlie Hill, president and co-founder of Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum.

“This campaign isn’t about celebrity,” said Tiffany Velez Rodgers, director of marketing at Hampton Proton. “It’s about using trusted community voices to amplify one powerful call to action: get screened.”

While prostate cancer statistics show Black men are 70 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer compared to other racial groups and are twice as likely to die from it. Prostate cancer is also curable.

“This health fair saves lives,” said Scott Berry, executive director at Hampton Proton. “Over the past three years, nearly 20 percent of men screened here received abnormal results, underscoring the critical need for early detection. We want men to know: if you come, you could be protecting your future, your health, and your family.”