Free cancer screenings hosted by the Boston Medical Center last weekend were meant to encourage Boston college students to be proactive about their health, but few students attended, according to organizers.
BMC representatives, who have held similar screenings in previous years, said although they advertised last weekend’s events around the city and on the Boston University campus, not enough students are taking advantage of the free opportunities to get screened for prostate and head and neck cancers.
“[BMC] hosts this event to provide a service to the community,” said event organizer Linda Frattura. “It’s open to the general public. We’re not just targeting college students.”
Volunteer Tara O’Donnell, a Salem State College graduate student, said the screening opportunity is convenient for participants.
“[We want] to promote the importance of getting screened, and make it easier for people,” O’Donnell said. “A lot of people don’t have a primary physician to go to for an exam.”
Clarendon Hill Towers – a low-income housing development in Massachusetts – brought many tenants to the screening, said Tenant Association President Karen Glover.
“It really helps that it’s free,” Glover said. “We know that seniors who catch things early have a better success rate. Early detection is the best prevention.”
Although Glover said it is important for senior citizens to catch diseases in early stages, it’s just important for younger generations to be on top of their health.
“Kids think they’re infallible,” she said. “But with maturity, you have more judgment to take better care for yourself.”
In addition to screening for the forms of cancer, BMC also provided tests examining blood sugar, blood pressure, bone density and dental health.
“A lot of people here don’t have insurance and probably wouldn’t ever get these tests done [otherwise],” said Christina Fontenette, who traveled from Cape Cod for the screenings.
“It’s definitely necessary for college-age students to get screened for cancer if they have a family history, or if they feel a lump,” said University of Massachusetts graduate student Jamie Navarro. “You hear more and more about girls in their 20s getting breast cancer.”
