Women offered free health check

(CNS): Thanks to a partnership between the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, the Health Services Authority, Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital and private physicians, women in Cayman without the appropriate health care coverage will be able to collect vouchers for free pap smear screening as part of the observance of Female Cancer Awareness Month during September.

During the month the Society will be presenting a number of awareness sessions across Grand Cayman and on Cayman Brac at which residents will be able to collect the vouchers for the health check. Women without insurance will also be able to collect the vouchers from the Cancer Society office which is located in Suite 4 of the MCR Building on Eclipse Drive (off Eastern Avenue).

During September Dr Maria Diaz from the Cleveland Clinic Florida will be in the Cayman Islands and she will be taking part in the awareness sessions. Dr Diaz will be making presentations to corporate entities and travelling to Cayman Brac to make the awareness session there. She is the Head, Section of Ambulatory Gynecology at the clinic.

During the awareness campaign the Cancer Society said that presentations this year will focus on ovarian and endometrial cancers but will also discuss cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV). At least 1 in every 2 sexually active young women has had a genital HPV infection. Any sexually active person—no matter what colour, race, gender, or sexual orientation—can get HPV. HPV is s a group of over 100 different kinds of viruses, mainly spread by sexual contact. HPV infection is believed to be the cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer And at any given time as much as a third of women in the United States aged between 14 to 59 are infected with at least one type of HPV.

For more information on these presentations and on obtaining a voucher for a free Pap smear please contact the Cancer Society at 949-7618 or email hpo@cics.ky Presentation are as follows:

Cayman Brac: 17 September at 7:30pm at Biggie’s Conference Room.

George Town:  18 September at 5:30 Womens Resource Centre

Savannah: 22 September at 7:30 Savannah Primary School Hall

George Town:  23 September at 7:30 St George’s Anglican Church Hall

East End: 24 September at 7:30 pm East End Civic Centre

West Bay: 25 September at 5:30 pm John Gray Memorial Church Hall