What we do and how we do it.
Currently, 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, the leading type of cancer in men. In 2009, it was estimated that 775 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer on Vancouver Island, with 116 men dying from the disease.
To support this demographic of men, our current programs include:
Community Education and Awareness
Through events like our annual Men's Health Day, we are working towards increasing public education of prostate cancer and early diagnosis at a curable stage. By raising the level of community awareness of the incidence of prostate cancer, we are encouraging earlier detection and more effective treatment of the disease.
Patient Counseling
By trying to reduce the impact of prostate cancer on men, their partners, and families, we offer help with the decision making process through the treatment journey of prostate cancer.
Patient Follow-Up
Through following up with men who have finished active treatment for prostate cancer, we are trying to coach men to commit to maintaining their health goals and adhering to post treatment disease monitoring. Improving the health of clients post prostate cancer treatment requires transforming a system that is essentially reactive - responding mainly when a person is sick - to one that is proactive and focused on keeping a person as healthy as possible.
Our goals are simply to support men in their cancer journey, provide ongoing adherence to surveillance in this population and monitor risks of disease recurrence, therefore reducing the cost to the health care system of duplicate visits to clinic and family doctor.
Collaboration and Research
The Prostate Centre is a clinical research site for the largest North American prostate cancer prevention trial. In addition, we have committed over $100,000 towards Immune Response research for prostate cancer through the Smith Fund at the Deeley Centre, BC Cancer Agency.
Annual Father's Day Walk / Run for Prostate Cancer
In 2010, The Prostate Centre's Father's Day event saw a 593 participants come together to raise an astonishing $96,000 - we surpassed our goal! Money raised at our Father's Day event stays on Vancouver Island for education and research. Join us in 2011 on Father's Day, Sunday June 19th, 2011 and help us reach our goal of raising $100,000!
Through activities and programs we stimulate public awareness about prostate health and prostate cancer and through collaboration with other organizations, support groups, and medical professionals we strive to enhance quality of care and initiate and fund research programs that seek a cure for prostate cancer.
