Engaged in conversation about upcoming elections and Grammy Award winners with his barber, Evanston resident Kevin Lee sat comfortably in the chair at the Church Street Barber Shop, where he has gone since he was 13.
But this visit to the barber was different. Not only was his haircut free at the shop, 1905 Church St., but Lee, 43, also received a prostate cancer screening from the Evanston Health Department.
“It’s been a real laid back day, ” said Zollie Webb, a health program coordinator running the screenings. “The guys are getting to know each other, drinking coffee.”
In an effort to raise awareness about prostate cancer prevention, the department provided free tests on Monday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
“You hear so much information concerning prostate cancer,” Lee said. “Oftentimes for men, it’s too late when they find out they have it. You need to do something so you know … where you stand.”
The 27 participants screened at the barbershop will get their test results in a week.
“I think it’s great because my father had prostate cancer, and if they had caught it earlier, then he wouldn’t have passed away,” said Margaret Robinson, a medical assistant at Mount Sinai Hospital who helped with the tests. “A lot of people don’t want checkups. You have to kind of trick them into it.”
With a $7,000 grant from the state, health officials hope to screen 150 men by June, Webb said.
“There has not been a lot of outreach in the Evanston area. We have tried to think of creative ways of reaching out to the community,” said Webb, adding that the program targets people without insurance.
Early detection of prostate cancer is key to saving lives, especially for black men, who are twice as likely to get prostate cancer as their white counterparts, according to the American Cancer Society.
Jay Terry, Evanston Director of Health and Human Services, said Evanston has a large population of black men who need screening, especially aging baby boomers.
Webb said the familiarity of the establishment made it the perfect place to hold the screenings. Another free haircut and screening session will be held in June.
