Since 1993, the Department of Health and Senior Services has provided breast and cervical cancer screening, education and related services to underserved women in New Jersey. As a result of the success of the breast and cervical screening program across New Jersey, funding has been expanded to include screenings for prostate and colorectal cancer. Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center now provides screenings for the medically underserved and uninsured for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. The programs target men and women who have inadequate health insurance, and so are at greater risk for skipping routine tests for cancer detection.
Early detection is a vital part of successful treatment of both prostate and colorectal cancer.
Our outreach efforts will focus on overcoming hesitation about the screening and emphasize the benefits of prevention. Outreach will also seek those who ordinarily have not participated in preventive screening or testing. Sometimes it seems that routine maintenance for our cars makes more sense to us than routine maintenance for our bodies. We want to focus on education and help others overcome that misperception. The state-funded testing program will provide free or low cost prostate screenings to men who meet eligibility guidelines.