For Greene County News
XENIA & BEAVERCREEK – Greene Memorial Hospital and Soin Medical Center will offer free Prostate-Specific Antigen/PSA testing in honor of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
“A program such as this is a great community service,” said Dr. Jorge Arzola, a urologist working at Soin Medical Center. “This helps promote self-wellness and brings attention to prostate cancer.”
Prostate-specific antigen or PSA, is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of PSA in a man’s blood. For this test, a blood sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results are usually reported as nanograms of PSA per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood.
“I am a really big proponent of the PSA test,” Dr. Arzola said. “This is a tool to arm our patients with information which is in their best interest.”
Greene Memorial Hospital and Soin Medical Center Vice President for Operations and Finance, Ron Connovich, believes offering the PSA test free of charge is a great way to raise awareness and inspire more men to take the test.
“Today with early detection by monitoring the PSA levels, we may be able to stop the cancer by developing the best plan for our patients. Before the PSA test was available, men would arrive at their doctor after it had spread throughout the body,” said Dr. Arzola.
A man interested in getting the test may come to either hospital’s information station and tell the attendant they would like a free PSA test. The patient will be registered, test administered and then a hospital urologist will review the test results and communicate with the patient once received.
According to Dr. Arzola, testing yearly is recommended for men age 60-80 since it provides the doctor a way to monitor the levels long term. Yearly prostate exams at a primary care physician are recommended beginning at age 40.
“I felt this was something very important we could do for our local communities since early detection is key with this type of treatable cancer,” added Connovich.
The tests will be offered free to patients until Oct. 15.
Greene Memorial Hospital is located at 1141 N. Monroe Drive in Xenia. The hospital can be reached at: 937-352-2000 Soin Medical Center is located at 3535 Pentagon Blvd. in Beavercreek. The hospital can be reached at: 937-702-4000.
