Hollister - Hazel Hawkins and several local nonprofits want to see you at a free health fair today if you can answer "Yes" to any of the following questions: Are you over 50? Do you have a family history of colon cancer? Have you been putting off getting screened for colon cancer because of the unpleasant nature of the test or because you don't have health insurance?
No more excuses, Hollister: Hazel Hawkins, Pacific Health Alliance, the Michael A. Gard Memorial Foundation and Strides for Life are sponsoring a health fair today where at-risk locals can learn all about a new, non-invasive colon cancer test they can get for free, regardless of insurance coverage or lack thereof.
"It's tremendous what we're doing here," said Dr. Leonard Caputo, a surgeon at Hazel Hawkins.
Colon cancer is the second most-deadly cancer. Of San Benito County's 11,000 residents over the age of 50, it is estimated that between 30 and 50 of them have undetected signs of colon cancer, according to a Great Colorectal Cancer Hunt of San Benito County press release. Half of these cases would prove fatal if they went without treatment.
But colon cancer is also highly treatable if caught in its early stages. Unfortunately, the idea of having a tiny video camera examine four feet of their colon for polyps, the "seeds" of cancer, scares people away.
So Hazel Hawkins and various local organizations have teamed up with Exact Sciences Inc., a bio-tech company that has developed a colon cancer test that checks for mutated DNA in stool samples.
"Procrastination seems to be the name of the game," said Exact Representative Melissa Wood. "This test is designed for people who just won't get a colonoscopy. I don't want to talk anybody out of getting a colonoscopy. But if you just won't, this is the second-best test."
San Benito County residents can attend today's health fair to get information on the free take-home test, find out more facts about the disease and get referred to doctors who can recommend them for free testing.
"This isn't something like breast cancer; it's something a little tougher for people to talk about. They're not comfortable talking about it around the coffee table," Caputo said. "But a couple of quick questions from your family physician are the best screening."
Anyone interested in the free screening can attend the health fair today at Hazel Hawkins from 11am-2pm. A patient's regular physician will have to recommend a screening for him or her to be eligible for the free testing. Those who do not have insurance or a regular physician can get a recommendation from any of several free clinics. Information on these clinics will also be available today.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jquandt@freelancenews.com.
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