East Hawaii Health Cancer Center on Saturday will be hosting its second annual Community Cancer Screening and Education event.
The free event will include head and neck cancer and skin cancer screenings. No insurance is required, and attendees do not need to register in advance.
“No appointment is needed,” confirmed event organizer Corey Hanselman. “We don’t need insurance, we don’t need your ID, or anything like that. You just come and tell us if you’re interested in the skin or head and neck screening, or you can opt to do both.”
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the primary care clinic on the second floor of 1285 Waianuenue Ave., across the street from Hilo Medical Center. Parking is available, and exam rooms will be open so screenings of multiple patients can occur simultaneously.
“They’ll take a look into your throat, checking your ears, feeling your lymph nodes, and checking for any irregularities, and then they make their notes,” Hanselman said.
Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Lovina Sabnani will be in attendance, as well as a variety of radiation and medical oncologists, primary care physicians, plastic surgeons, nursing students, hospital administrators, and nursing staff and students.
Anything noticed by attending physicians and providers will be listed on a report and given to patients, who can then make follow-up appointments with their primary care providers.
“If they see anything suspicious, they’ll circle it on their findings sheet. They make their notes, and then we refer them back to their primary care providers,” said Hanselman. “If they don’t have one, then we can refer them to our own primary care clinic or to a general surgeon if they do think it’s something suspicious they need to get looked at right away.”
The East Hawaii Health Cancer Center also will follow up with listed providers.
“We have a sheet of our findings, and we also go through that list and call their providers after just to see if their patients came back and checked up with them just so they’re aware,” she said.
The event also will include community education about smoking cessation, vaping and human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention.
Last year’s event brought 101 people to the cancer center, and this year, event coordinators are expecting even more to attend.
“We are estimating to get at least 150 this time around,” Hanselman said. “Now that the community is more aware of the event happening and spreading the word, telling their family and friends, we are expecting at least 150, if not more, and we’re hoping we can provide and get through everybody in time.”
The cancer center is now Commission on Cancer certified, and the event is part of a recent requirement to host cancer screenings annually.
Added benefits from the accreditation include monthly tumor board meetings and a cancer committee, where different departments come together to discuss ways of improving research, resources and funding.
While the event occurs annually, Hanselman is hopeful that more free screenings will be offered in the future.
“We’re looking to do this at least once a year,” she said. “But because we’re expecting a lot of people to show up, we may have to do this twice a year.”
The event will be first come, first-served, and visitors are encouraged to sign up for both the skin cancer and head and throat cancer screenings.
“I would say about 90% of the people who came out last year did both, because it was free,” said Hanselman. “And it doesn’t hurt to get both checked out.”
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.