Central Brooklyn Cancer Services Program Begins:
Jan 4, 2011
Service Provides Free Cancer Screenings to Uninsured New York Residents
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and community partners have established the Central Brooklyn Cancer Services Program (CSP) to provide free cancer screenings for uninsured New York State residents living in Brooklyn. Funding for the project is provided by a three-year grant from the New York State Department of Health totaling $1.7 million.
Women above the age of 40 with no health insurance can receive PAP tests and pelvic exams, and clinical breast exams and mammograms. Women and men aged 50 and above with no health insurance can receive a take-home colon cancer test, called a FIT kit.
“Many cancers are treatable and curable when detected early,” said Maria Yomtov, RN, MSN, CDE, director of SUNY Downstate’s Center for Community Health Promotion and Wellness and project director of CSP. “With this new program, a lack of health insurance is no barrier to getting screened.”
In addition to Downstate, participating healthcare providers include Long Island College Hospital, Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center, First Medcare, Inc., Quest, and Doshi Diagnostic Imaging Services.
To schedule a free exam or for more information, people may call 718-270-8846 or 718-270-8245.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.