Passavant Area Hospital is hosting an event later this month that everyone could benefit from.
Two weeks from now, Passavant, in conjunction with the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine, will hold a Community Cancer Screening at the local hospital.
Director of Community Support at the Simmons Institute Cindy Davidsmeyer joined our WLDS’ AM Conversation yesterday to discuss the event and what to expect.
“We will have oral cancer screenings which is oral, head neck mouth. The doctor will look in your mouth and feel your neck for bumps or lumps. Takes about five minutes. And we will also offer prostate screening for the guys who are between the ages of 40 and 70 and then we will have free home test kits for colon cancer.”
Davidsmeyer says other programs will be available, beside the screenings.
“We will have a dietician on hand who will have some food samples. We did this a couple weeks ago in Staunton, Illinois as well, and the food was great. Surprisingly, to some people, its very healthy. So, we invite everyone to come on out and taste the food. We’ll also have a fitness instructor who will show us some moves and ways to stay fit that don’t exactly break down the spirit in trying to run 10 miles.
Davidsmeyer explains what the Simmons Institute can do for those affected by cancer, and what programs their institute offers.
“Well the Simmons cancer institute is affiliated with SIU school of Medicine. It’s a beautiful place where we practice the team approach to cancer care. So that when a person is diagnosed they come in and your team of doctors from your surgeon to your oncologist, they all meet together to decide your treatment plan. We also offer complimentary therapy such as yoga and tai chi (tie- chee), raiki (ray-kee) ,we even have a drumming class, no talent required, we have pet therapy in the facility , we have support groups, all of this is free of charge regardless of where someone is being treated.
The event will be on Saturday, April 22nd and will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Passavant Area Hospital. For more information, or to register, call 217-479-5800.