In response to the recent passing of Dexter Scott King, Morehouse School of Medicine and The King Center have teamed up to offer free prostate cancer screenings in Atlanta. Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., succumbed to prostate cancer on January 22 at the age of 62. His death has sparked a push for increased awareness and early detection of the disease, particularly within the Black community, which is disproportionately affected.
The free screenings took place Friday ahead of Dexter Scott King’s memorial service, slated for Saturday evening at Ebenezer Baptist Church. In an effort to not only pay tribute but also potentially save lives, Morehouse’s Prostate Cancer Precision Prevention Program provided prostate-specific antigen testing to attendees, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Men who attended were informed they would receive their results via mail within two weeks.
Upon receiving results, individuals with high PSA levels were to be proactively followed up with by the clinical team from PCP3 and referred to partnered urology clinics for further care. Over at the King Center, more than 80 men took advantage of the free service, demonstrating a community's willingness to confront a threat that can be curable if caught early. "A disease that doctors say is 100% curable when detected early," FOX 5 reported.
Participants like Ira James and Pasha Ama recognized the significance of the screenings. "The high rate of prostate cancer with older black men. It was free, convenient and quick, so I decided to come by," James told FOX 5. Ama, reflecting on his father's death from prostate cancer years earlier, mentioned his resolve to "better get myself checked." Others, influenced directly by Dexter King's death, found the push they needed to take action. "The fact that we lost Dexter King, it made me think I'll be 61 this year and I had never done it. I encourage all the brothers out there to get it done," said Gary Nelson.
With last year's screenings reaching 500 men, Morehouse School of Medicine has set sights on surpassing that number in 2024. Dr. Leanne Burnham of Morehouse School of Medicine shared an important message on the racial disparities related to prostate cancer, "Prostate cancer is associated with age. For Black men we know that they are much more likely to be diagnosed younger in their 40s and 50s and their disease is much more aggressive period they are 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease," FOX 5 included.
