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The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), a national nonprofit leading the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative aligned with President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot 2.0, will host the Flint Community Cancer Screening and Health Fair on Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service on Monday, January 16th.
NMQF is hosting the event with Exact Sciences Corporation, a molecular diagnostics company with an emphasis on the detection of early-stage cancers, and Meridian of Michigan, a Michigan-based provider of government-sponsored health plans whose goal is to help individuals live better, healthier lives along with support from health institutions and community groups. The event will offer free cancer screenings, COVID/influenza vaccinations, health screenings as well as complimentary lunch from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Berston Field House in Flint, Michigan to promote early detection of cancer and better health. Berston Field House is located at 3300 Saginaw St. in Flint.
Free health services that will be offered include COVID-19 vaccinations, behavioral health, oral health, and vision screenings. A free bag of food produce compliments of the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan will be available for participating in screening evaluations. “Dr. King once said that injustice in health was the most inhuman form of inequality because it leads to death that could have been prevented.
Earlier detection of cancer should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford to pay out-of-pocket,” said Dr. Gary Puckrein, President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum. “The fair will be a fun and inclusive way to increase education and access to cancer screening. We’re excited to host the Flint Cancer Community Screening and Health Fair, and we hope members of the community join us for this occasion.” “This day of service honoring Dr. King offers the opportunity to help people prevent and learn about cancer. As a Flint native, I’m passionate about this cause and community,” said Kevin Conroy, Chairman & CEO, Exact Sciences.
“Together with local organizations and healthcare systems, we’re building support for Flint’s cancer prevention and detection efforts and look forward to helping decrease the community’s cancer burden.” “At Meridian, we understand the value and potentially life-saving nature of preventive cancer screenings, which improve the health and wellbeing of our members and local communities,” said Patty Graham, Plan President and CEO of Meridian of Michigan. “We are proud to partner with the National Minority Quality Forum and other local partners to bring a fun, educational event to the Flint community on such a historic day.”
The Flint Community Cancer Screening and Health Fair is made possible with the participation of national and local partners – Hurley Medical Center, McLaren Flint Hospital, Hamilton Community Health Network, St. Mark Community Outreach Center, Michigan United, Genesee County Health, MI-CARES, American Cancer Society, Colorectal Cancer Alliance, and Fight Colorectal Cancer. Initiative to Increase Awareness & Access to Early Detection Cancer Screening in Flint Special guests will join NMQF President and CEO Dr. Gary Puckrein, Exact Sciences CEO Kevin Conroy, Meridian CEO Patty Graham and local community leaders to raise awareness of the need to increase cancer detection and diagnosis in Flint. The mission of the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative is to move medical standards in the country from late-stage to early-stage detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer; improving cancer care, and reducing the incidence of cancer deaths for all, with a particular focus on health equity in underrepresented populations.
In 2022, the White House Cancer Cabinet identified priorities to close the screening gap as well as understand and address environmental exposure. In the coming year, the Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative will support efforts to increase cancer screening for at-risk communities in Flint, support community-based engagement to increase awareness of cancer risk and treatment, improve clinical trial diversity as well as support efforts to understand the impact of the water crisis on cancer risk in the community.
To register for the event, visit http://bit.ly/FlintHealthFair.
For more information, visit http://shiftcancer.org.
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