Black Churches Engage in Winning the Fight Against Prostate Cancer

— PHEN Credits Churches with Progress in Recent Prostate Cancer Death Decline —

Boston, MA — The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) announced today that it credits its partnership with Black churches for helping to make important progress in the fight against prostate cancer within Black America. Over the past 12 years, the overall death rate for prostate cancer has dropped by 40%, and declined at a rate 6% faster for black men than for white men, according to government statistics. PHEN’s mission is to eliminate the African American prostate cancer disparity and partnering with churches is a key part of its strategy.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer for men in the U. S., and the second leading cause of cancer deaths, following lung cancer. However, within Black America the incidence rate is 60% higher and death rate 130% higher than for white men, making this the largest racial disparity for any type of major cancer among men or women.

“Some of our most effective educational outreach efforts are in partnership with churches, and we are anxious to accelerate this success by expanding our church partnerships in 2016, the need for more progress within Black America remains urgent,” said Thomas A. Farrington, PHEN president and founder.

“We host a prostate cancer educational symposium with PHEN each year that is growing in attendance,” said Bishop Robert Jackson, Pastor, Acts Full Gospel in Oakland, CA. “This event is a tremendous success and helps to increase prostate cancer knowledge and also provides free prostate cancer screening to the community.”

PHEN offers churches a number of ways to partner, including:

* PHEN’s 8th Annual Father’s Day Rally is a prostate cancer awareness campaign, to be held in churches nationwide, on June 19, 2016.

* PHEN’s 4th Annual Educational Symposium Series is held in partnership with a number of churches from April through September of this year.

* Partnerships For Education, Support and Outreach (PESO) is a new PHEN initiative launched this year, to provide churches with the capability to host monthly prostate health educational meetings.

 

All of these initiatives are FREE and open to the public, at no cost to churches who partner with PHEN.

Twelfth Baptist Church, located in Boston, MA has been a PHEN church partner since 2008, “We have helped to raise awareness through hosting the PHEN Father’s Day Rally and two highly successful educational symposiums,” said Rev. Dr. Arthur Gerald Jr., Pastor. “These events help to spread prostate health knowledge within our congregation and community.”

“St. Paul’s has made great progress in raising prostate health awareness and knowledge as a PHEN partner with the Father’s Day Rally and educational symposiums, and we are looking forward to launching a PESO this year,” said Rev. Dr. Lance Watson, Pastor of The St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond, VA.

“I know the tremendous blessings that knowledge provides when facing prostate cancer, because this is my testimony!” said Farrington, a 16-year prostate cancer survivor. “We pray for more church partnerships to help PHEN bring these same blessings to even more congregations and communities and to eventually eliminate the prostate cancer disparity.”

Churches can find more information about PHEN partnership opportunities and register to join on PHEN’s website at www.rapcancer.org

 

About PHEN
The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN) is the nation’s leading patient education and advocacy organization addressing the prostate health needs of Black America where men are diagnosed at a rate 60% higher and die at a rate 130% higher than white men. PHEN monthly support group meetings have been held at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA since its founding in 2003. Based in Quincy, Mass., PHEN, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, an was founded by Thomas A. Farrington, a prostate cancer survivor. PHEN Initiatives include monthly live educational webcasts, the Annual Father’s Day Rally, educational symposiums with church partners, and the Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit in Washington, DC. For more information, visit PHEN’s website at www.prostatehealthed.org.

 

PRESS CONTACT:
Tomeeka Farrington
(617) 423-0040
Tomeeka@spotlightcommunications.net