On Saturday, November 18, the Great River Ontario Health Team (GR OHT), in collaboration with the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre and the Champlain Cancer Screening Program, will hold a Walk-In Cancer Screening Day. This event is free and will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre (353 Pitt Street, Cornwall). During this event, all eligible people will be screened by our team of health professionals for four different types of cancer: cervical cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer.
“We are so proud to host the Cancer Screening Day at the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre with all our partners, mentioned Erin Killoran, Executive Director. As the goal of this day is to make cancer screening accessible to all, we are grateful to have been able to bring together so many partner organizations and community volunteers to make this day happen.”
- Cervical Screening – PAP test available on-site if you qualify.
Cervical cancer is almost entirely preventable with regular screening, appropriate and timely follow-up of abnormal PAP test results and HPV immunization.
When to get screened? PAP tests are recommended every three years from age 25-69.
- Breast Screening – Mammogram referral will be provided if you qualify.
Regular breast cancer screening can find cancer when it is small and there is a better chance of treating it successfully.
When to get screened? Breast screening is recommended from age 50-74. If you are aged 40-49 or older than 74, you can speak with our clinicians to see if screening is right for you. If you have a family history of breast cancer, you can speak with our clinicians to see if earlier screening is right for you.
- Colorectal Screening – FIT test or colonoscopy referral will be provided if you qualify.
When colorectal cancer is caught early enough through screening, someone with the disease has a 9 out of 10 chance of being cured.
When to get screened? Stool (FIT) tests are recommended every two years from age 50-74. Based on family history, some people may be eligible for a screening colonoscopy.
- Lung Screening – Lung screening referral will be provided if you qualify.
Screening can find some lung cancers early, when treatment has a better chance of working.
When to get screened? Lung screening is recommended for current or past smokers aged 55-74 who have smoked cigarettes every day for at least 20 years throughout their lifetime.
Why Get Screened?
Screening is appropriate for people who do not have any cancer symptoms. Organized screening programs may find cancer earlier, leading to better health outcomes (Cancer Care Ontario). Cancer screening detects pre-cancerous changes, or cancer at an early stage when there is a better chance of treating it successfully. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, there are many benefits of having regular screening tests for cervical cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer:
- Getting screened reassures you if the result is normal.
- Cancer screening may help prevent cancer by finding changes in your body that would become cancer if left untreated.
- Cancer screening helps find cancer early before you have symptoms when it is easier to treat.
- Cancer screening helps find cancer before it spreads when it is easier to treat.
- Early detection may mean less treatment and less time spent recovering.
- The earlier a cancer is detected, the better your chance of survival.
“Where everyone’s health and well-being matter!” The Great River Ontario Health Team is a collective of health and social service providers who plan and work together, as one coordinated team, to provide integrated services and supports to meet the health needs of people who seek care in the City of Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry, Akwesasne and parts of rural Southeast Ottawa and Russell Township.
