The Man Van is coming to Drumheller.
The Prostate Cancer Centre Man Van will be rolling into the Royal Tyrrell Museum parking lot on Saturday, June 27 from 12-3 p.m.
The Van is making stops in various rural communities in Alberta providing Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests to men over the age of 40.
Ken Rabb, Man Van program manager, said the Man Van began in 2009 with a van in the city of Calgary where the focus was on the communities within city.
“In 2012 we expanded our Man Van program to bring on this van that is more built for rural Alberta, and we travel all across the province offering these tests to the community,” he said.
The test consists of a blood test that will check the PSA level to help with the early detection of prostate cancer. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate and released in small amounts to the bloodstream. The amount of PSA in the bloodstream often predicts a man’s risk of prostate cancer.
Rabb, said this will be the first year the Van will be in the Museum parking lot.
“I think it will be a great opportunity because we are not only offering the service to the community. We are offering it to anyone that visits the museum and we could be testing people from all over the country.”
Rabb said the Prostate Cancer Centre is a privately funded organization, not part of Alberta Health Services, so the results don’t go to the participants doctor, but instead directly to them in about a week.
“If it is at an elevated level, we encourage them to follow up with their doctor and find out why. It could be a number of reasons,” Rabb said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean prostate cancer, but it is good to know why the level is a bit higher.”
By completing this test, it measures if the PSA is normal for the man’s age group. Rabb encourages men once they reach their 40’s to get tested every five years and then in their 50’s every year.
“We say all the time, it is a blood test not a glove test, but we also recommend that men get the digital rectal examination and visit their doctor regularly as well as regular maintenance on their bodies.”
Prostate cancer is the leading cancer in Albertan men. One man in seven will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. Approximately 2600 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and eight men will die from it every week.
“We try to make it as comfortable and inviting to men as possible. The nurses on the Van, they are there to have fun and to strike up a conversation. It is a lot better than sitting in a doctors office,” Rabb said.
For more information visit www.getchecked.ca.
