FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Kate Lagreca
617.367.0300
Brockton Community Event Launches New Model for
Prostate Health
Honors Former Police Chief Robert Hayden on Father’s Day Weekend
AdMeTech Foundation, Brockton Area NAACP and Good Samaritan Medical Center, Mayor Bill Carpenter, Senator Michael Brady, Representatives Gerard Cassidy, Claire Cronin and Michelle DuBois Join Efforts to End the Prostate Cancer Crisis in Brockton
BROCKTON, MA – June 16, 2016 – AdMeTech Foundation, creator of The Manogram® Project, the Brockton NAACP, elected officials, and Good Samaritan Medical Center will hold a community event on Friday evening, June 17 at the Brockton VFW Post 1046 to battle prostate cancer in Brockton.
The disease has impacted many Brockton men, including former Police Chief Robert Hayden, and has emerged as a central issue in men’s health and as a leading disparity in African American men.
Dedicated to Hayden and timed for Father’s Day, this is the second community workshop in 2016, and designed to launch a new model of prostate health in Brockton. Friday’s program and an earlier event this past January are part of the statewide campaign by AdMeTech Foundation-led Prostate Cancer Action Council, which has established Massachusetts as a national leader in education, awareness and research.
AdMeTech research shows that Brockton has prostate cancer mortality 1.3 times higher than the state average. In African American men of Brockton, mortality is 1.4 times higher than state average, 2.7 times higher than in white men, and 3.2 times higher than breast cancer mortality in African American women. This data galvanized AdMeTech, the Brockton NAACP, elected officials and Good Samaritan Medical Center to make Brockton a priority for a statewide campaign and create a new model for prostate health. The mission of this campaign is to bring the cutting-edge advances in patient care to every man, his caregivers and physicians and empower fully informed and shared decisions on choosing options in screening, diagnosis and treatment. The campaign’s focus is on men with high risk factors for prostate cancer, such as Black (including Hispanic) heritage, family history, increasing age, and suspicious screening results.
The critical components of the new model include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting public awareness and education workshops that integrate educational plenary sessions with individual, family and group counseling;
- Ensuring ongoing community and clinical support for the most vulnerable and underserved men by mobilizing and training the grassroots educators and activists and integrating their efforts with local health care providers;
- Establishing a multi-disciplinary and multi-organizational clinical, educational and research program and measuring its impact on patient outcomes;
- Leveraging resources and expertise of the AdMeTech Foundation-led Prostate Cancer Action Council, which includes top leaders in patient advocacy, public and medical education, clinical care and research.
As an integral part of this model, a new support group in prostate health will be announced at the June 17 event. The support group meetings will be held monthly at the Steward Health’s Good Samaritan Medical Center and led by Dr. Richard McArdle, a prostate cancer expert who was recently named by Plymouth District Medical Society as its 2016 Community Clinician of the Year.
“Best evidence shows that early detection of prostate cancer saves lives, prevents unspeakable suffering of advanced disease and reduces health disparities. In my view, this highlights high mortality rate in Brockton as a public health priority that must be dealt with immediately,” said Dr. Faina Shtern, President of the AdMeTech Foundation. “I am deeply grateful to leaders of the Brockton NAACP, Mayor’s office, delegation to the State House, and Good Samaritan Medical Center for their dedication and commitment. Together, we are creating a new model for ending the prostate cancer crisis in Brockton – and we are confident that this effort will enhance our ability to make a difference for other towns in our state and our nation where men’s lives are at risk.”
“The number of men at risk of prostate cancer in Brockton continues to grow. Awareness and education forums provided by leading physicians and researchers will empower men to make thoughtful decisions about their healthcare and will help to reduce the disparity. It is very important that the Brockton community support efforts to save our brothers from prostate cancer mortality,“ said Steve Bernard, President of the Brockton NAACP
Guests of Honor include Mayor Bill Carpenter, Senator Mike Brady, and Representatives Gerard Cassidy, Claire Cronin and Michelle DuBois.
“We can save lives with the early detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer. Men in Brockton are suffering from prostate cancer at a rate significantly above the state wide average. The City is pleased to join our partners in this public awareness campaign that will save lives in our community,” said Mayor Carpenter.
“It is my hope that prostate cancer awareness will not stop here and the efforts of AdMeTech Foundation, Brockton NAACP and Good Samaritan Medical Center will continue their work towards early detection measures,” said Senator Brady. “The key to fighting against prostate cancer is getting the word out for early detection.”
“Early detection of prostate cancer saves lives; with an early diagnosis there is a 100 percent survival rate in five years, compared to 28 percent with a late diagnosis. It is my hope that we are able to spread awareness and education about prostate cancer, lowering the mortality rates in our community and throughout the Commonwealth. I applaud the efforts of AdMeTech Foundation, Brockton NAACP, and Good Samaritan Medical Center in working towards effective early detection measures. The State Delegation continues to work diligently to secure funding for this very important cause,” said Representative Cassidy.
“This is an important event to raise awareness about prostate cancer and the disproportionate effect in our community,” said Representative Cronin. “We are focusing at both the state and local level to provide resources for prostate cancer screenings, education, and treatment. The Brockton NAACP, AdMeTech Foundation and Good Samaritan Medical Center have been integral in educating our community about early detection and providing resources to combat this health care disparity.”
“I applaud the Brockton NAACP and Representative Cassidy for bringing this issue of high prostate cancer mortality rates in Brockton to my attention. Working as a team, with AdMeTech, the goal is to educate men about this health disparity and encourage them to speak with their doctor about this increased health risk,” said Representative DuBois.
Featured prostate cancer experts at the Brockton event include Dr. Chiledum Ahaghotu, Chief Medical Officer at Carney Hospital who will review new advances in surgery; Dr. Jennifer Rider, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health who will discuss her work in public health; Dr. Shtern who will present patient-centered information on screening and early detection, based on the most recent evidence; and Dr. Jason Zauls, Medical Director of the Cancer Program at Good Samaritan Medical Center who will discuss treatment options available at Good Samaritan Medical Center.
“We are proud to be part of this important collaboration,” said Dr. Zauls. “Our commitment to the community we serve is more than treating patients when they are ill – as it begins by creating a relationship that will foster healthy living and thus prevention.”
AdMeTech Foundation established the Prostate Cancer Action Council (PCAC), which includes American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Center for Elimination of Health and Social Inequities and Disparities (CEHSID), Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition (MPCC), Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA), New England Area Conference of NAACP (NEAC NAACP), and the Independent “Blue Ribbon” Expert Panel, consisting of the world authorities from the Massachusetts’ leading clinical and educational academic institutions. The campaign’s host committee is co-chaired by Juan Cofield, President of the New England Area Conference of NAACP (NEAC NAACP) and Dr. Shtern.
As a part of the statewide campaign, AdMeTech is also hosting the First Global Summit on Precision Diagnosis for Prostate Cancer on September 16-18 in Boston. This Summit will bring together for the first time the key experts to educate the key stakeholders on molecular biomarkers, imaging, genetics, genomics, and other advanced diagnostics that have been transforming screening, early detection, and treatment. For more information about the Summit, visit admetech.org/summit.
About AdMeTech Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Boston, MA, AdMeTech Foundation established the Manogram® Project, providing international leadership for groundbreaking programs in research, education and awareness to expedite advancement of diagnostic tools for screening, early detection, and treatment of prostate cancer (www.admetech.org).
About Brockton NAACP: The Brockton branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been a leader in ensuring equal access for all residents in housing, economic opportunity, education, justice, legal support and media diversity. The branch promotes civic engagement, advocates for civil rights, and supports and encourages the revitalization of downtown Brockton (www.naacp-brocktonbranch.org).
About Good Samaritan Medical Center: Good Samaritan Medical Center is an acute-care, 267-bed hospital providing comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services to Brockton and 22 neighboring communities. The hospital offers Centers of Excellence care in oncology and cardiology, specialized care in surgery, family-centered obstetrics with level-two nursery, substance abuse treatment, and advanced diagnostic imaging. Good Samaritan Medical Center is part of Steward Health Care System (www.goodsamaritanmedical.org).
###
