Hartford’s Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center says it is offering free prostate screenings and treatment to men who have little or no health insurance.
Saint Francis said funds for its health initiative are from a $472,533 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The Men’s Health Institute at Saint Francis will address the prevalence of prostate cancer, particularly among African-American men. According to the National Cancer Institute, black men are 2.5 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, Saint Francis said.Â
Urologist Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg, chairman of the hospital’s surgery department and the institute’s medical director, said the screenings will “focus on the early detection of aggressive prostate cancers in young African-American men who otherwise might not go to their doctor or come into the hospital for testing.”
In 2005, the hospital used a three-year Hartford Foundation grant of $450,000 to identify more than 5,000 area women, most from the inner city, who are at high risk of heart disease and help treat them through an altered lifestyle.
