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October 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For
more information, contact Ibis Antongiorgi, Press Secretary to Cook
County Board President Todd H. Stroger, at 312-603-0396 or by email at
iantongiorgi@cookcountygov.com.
County
Board President’s New “Check Now” Cancer Awareness
Campaign Designed to Promote Early Detection
County partners with American Cancer Society and Dominick’s to battle cancer through new outreach and education effort.
See below for high-resolution photos.
October 25,
2007, CHICAGO – CHICAGO - Regular medical check-ups and early
detection of various forms of cancer is a key objective of a new cancer
awareness campaign announced today by Cook County Board President Todd
Stroger and other partnering organizations. The project aims to reduce
cancer related deaths in Cook County.
President Stroger outlined the goals of the campaign at an October 25
press conference, where he was joined by senior County health officials
and representatives of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and
Dominick’s Finer Foods. The “Check Now” Cancer
Awareness Campaign will be guided principally by the Cook County
Department of Public Health.
The campaign will run over the course of several months into 2008, and
is designed to educate the public about the benefits of seeing a doctor
regularly as a means of detecting cancer early – at its most
treatable stage. President Stroger personally can attest to the
benefits of early detection; as a result of a 2006 routine medical
check-up, he learned that he had prostate cancer – well within
the safety zone of early treatment.
“I never anticipated that I would come face-to-face with cancer
while in my early 40s,” President Stroger said.
“Fortunately for me, because I have a regular regimen with my
doctor, we were able to identify the prostate cancer early and attack
it. The bottom line is that men over 40, especially Black men, should
be sure to get tested annually for prostate cancer. If prostate cancer
is detected in its early stages the survival rate is high.”
President Stroger is committed to getting the word out to men on the
importance of early detection of cancer through testing and screening.
In the coming months, the “Check Now” cancer awareness
initiative will promote educational messages about the importance of
routine check-ups to increase rates of early detection of prostate,
breast, lung, colorectal and skin cancers.
October is breast cancer month and in recognition of the work to find a
cure for breast cancer, Wynona Redmond, Public Affairs Director for
Dominick’s Finer Foods, presented a check for $10,000 to the
Hecktoen Institute to help advance breast cancer research. Early
detection of breast cancer is critical to conquering the disease.
Numerous studies indicate that women have a better than 75% survival
rate if breast cancer is discovered early.
In the months ahead, President Stroger will also work to forge
community-based partnerships to help disseminate important information
about cancer prevention strategies.
“Our Check Now cancer awareness campaign aims to break down some
of the barriers that many in our society face, such as distrust or
negative attitudes about screening tests,” said President
Stroger. “We must work to change those attitudes about getting
tested regularly.”
President Stroger added that the cancer awareness campaign is also
designed to raise awareness among Cook County residents about the
importance of healthy lifestyle choices, including getting more
exercise and eating healthier foods.
Officials who participated in the news conference included Stephen A.
Martin, Jr., PhD, MPH, Chief Operating Officer of the Cook County
Department of Public Health; Robert Simon, MD, Interim Chief of the
Cook County Bureau of Health Services; and Adrienne White, Vice
President of Health Initiatives and Advocacy for the American Cancer
Society.
For
more information, contact Ibis Antongiorgi, Press Secretary to Cook
County Board President Todd H. Stroger, at 312-603-0396 or
iantongiorgi@cookcountygov.com.
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