Men’s health will be coming to the forefront when the Man Van pulls into Chestermere Sept 27.
“It’s important that the Man Van is visiting communities like Chestermere because men are notoriously bad for taking care of their health,” said Man Van Program Manager Ken Rabb.
The primary focus of the Man Van is to screen men between the ages 40 and 80 for prostate cancer with a blood test. Although other health indicators are also taken.
“We’re going to be there doing blood pressure, blood sugar and waist circumference measurements too,” said Rabb.
The Man Van was started in 2009 as a response to the tendency of men to ignore preventative healthcare.
“The Man Van…brings the clinic to them,” said Rabb.
The reason for the focus on prostate cancer screening is that this cancer can be easy to treat when caught early but can be deadly if left untreated.
“Prostate cancer is a disease that’s very treatable when caught early,” he said.
“There’s not necessarily any warning signs that you have prostate cancer,” said Rabb, “and by the time you realize that, it’s going to be quite difficult to treat.”
The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test is an accurate and reliable way to screen for prostate cancer.
Rabb said that the Man Van has been so successful that they have had to expand the program, adding a second van just to visit rural communities.
“We’ve tested over 42,000 men,” he said.
On Sept. 27 when the van rolls into Chestermere it will be located at the ATB branch at 100 Marina Drive.
“We want men to use this opportunity to be proactive about their health and to get checked and it’s just kind of a fun way to do it,” said Rabb.
The van will be there for three hours from noon to 3 p.m.
“We hope that we can get about 60 men through,” said Rabb.
“We’ll be nice and busy and steady the whole time if that can happen,” he said.
Rabb said that the whole process is quite simple and only takes between five and 10 minutes.
On arrival at the van, Rabb said that men will be greeted by a prostate cancer survivor who will help men register.
“He knows all about why the test is important and he’s there to answer any questions you might have about PSA testing, about prostate cancer,” said Rabb.
After that men will be taken into the van by the clinical staff for the tests.
“We’ll have four clinical staff out there that day,” he said, “we’re going to have two that will be drawing blood, so about half a teaspoon of blood for PSA tests.”
The other two clinicians will be doing the blood pressure, blood sugar, and waist circumference measurements.
After that the men are finished and can carry on with their day.
The results of the PSA screening take about a week. Anyone with a PSA result within the normal range will get their results in the mail.
“You should get it in about a week,” said Rabb.
“If it’s within the normal range we’ll just tell you when you should come and get your next PSA check,” he said, “we want men to do it regularly if you’re over 50 you should do it every year and if you’re in your 40s you should think about doing it every five years.”
If the PSA level comes back elevated the patient is phoned.
“If it came back elevated first thing we do is phone the person right away,” said Rabb.
“We explain to them first of all it doesn’t necessarily mean prostate cancer,” he said.
Since things other than cancer, an infection for instance, can lead to elevated PSA levels, the next step is to have a follow up test.
“You go to Calgary Lab Services and get your blood taken and then you’re going to get another result,” said Rabb.
With an elevated result, Rabb said that staff at the Man Van will be there to support a person through the entire process.
If the second test confirms the results of the first, the next step in the process is to either get the man to visit their doctor or to go for further follow up at the prostate cancer centre.
While the thought of cancer can be quite scary, Rabb said that, “the majority of men are just going to get a letter in the mail and then watch it year after year.”
“Right now, we just want men to worry about getting a blood test,” he said.
For anyone who can’t make it to the Man Van, Rabb encourages them to check their website, www.getchecked.ca, to find another clinic.
“We do clinics in Calgary all the time,” he said.
“If you didn’t catch us in Chestermere…next time you’re in [Calgary] get checked then or talk to your doctor about PSA tests.”
