ATLANTA, Ga. — These DeKalb doctors aren’t waiting for people to get sick. They’re bringing lifesaving screenings to the community.
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That’s the mission behind Atlanta to Anywhere Community Events and Screenings (A²CES), a coalition of healthcare professionals working to prevent some of the nation’s leading causes of death through free health screenings and community outreach.
Channel 2’s Lori Wilson visited one of the organization’s locations in Stonecrest, where doctors say prevention, not treatment, is their primary focus.
For Joseph McCrary Jr., those routine screenings may have saved his life.
Eight years ago, McCrary was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a regular checkup revealed elevated PSA levels. Having already lost both his brother and grandmother to cancer, he says he never skips his annual appointments.
“Coming to my regular doctor, routine visits, he noticed my PSA levels started to elevate,” McCrary said.
His experience is exactly why A²CES was created.
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“We believe that screenings are the key to prevention, so that’s what we do is provide screenings to all of our communities,” said Dr. Xavier Bryant, owner of RX Meds Pharmacy, one of the organization’s partners.
For the past three years, A²CES has focused on preventing the top three causes of death—heart disease, cancer and stroke—by offering screenings and connecting patients with physicians and specialists who can continue their care after community events end.
“In order to make a difference in a community, you have to focus on public health,” Dr. Bryant said.
The organization also works to reach people who may not have regular access to healthcare.
“It’s important for you to know your numbers and get your checkups as you need to,” said Dr. Adebayo Akintobi, managing partner of A²CES. “But for those who have fallen off the wagon because they don’t have resources, our organization wants to help fill that void and gap.”
This September, A²CES will host its first 5K Walk and Run for Prostate Cancer Awareness, where men can receive free prostate cancer screenings as part of the event.
Organizers hope the event encourages more people to make preventive care a priority before a serious diagnosis changes their lives.
For more information about the upcoming prostate cancer screening and 5K, visit A²CE’s wesbite.
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