SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -- The Prostate Cancer Foundation has partnered with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to host the launch of their “Check the Box! Saving Lives Together” initiative. To celebrate the launch, they brought out a couple of legends with them.

The goal is to increase awareness around the dangers of late detected prostate cancer, while encouraging individuals, particularly men of color, to prioritize regular health screenings and having informed conversations with healthcare providers.

We spoke to 2x Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee Nancy Lieberman at the event, where she tells us, “I’m a Basketball Hall of Famer, and I felt like the Basketball Hall of Fame needed to be a part of this initiative for awareness, for knowledge. And to have men, black men, get tested because prostate cancer affects them, two and a half to one to white males over the age of 40.”

However, she wasn’t the only one to show her support on Monday. 3x Emmy Winning Sports Journalist Jay Harris says, “Until we get cures, because it will be cured because of the individual nature of these diseases. Awareness and early detection will save lives. Early detection helps save mine. So, I’m paying it forward in that respect.”

Also in attendance for the announcement was the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s Men of Color Health Awareness, whose focus is to empower men of color in the Greater Springfield community with tools to eliminate health disparities.

“That’s really been our message since MOCHA was created about 13 years ago. This is something that, just like hypertension and diabetes, that really impacts men of color at a disproportionate rate. And so that’s why MOCHA was initially formed, just focusing on prostate cancer awareness and getting that message out there. Now they’ve expanded into some other things, you know, spreading the word about vaccinations and other things that are crucial to health for men of color,” Dexter Johnson, the CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield told us.

One of the key takeaways the PCF and medical providers want to emphasize through this initiative is that it’s never too early to get screened for prostate cancer, especially for black men of West African or Caribbean descent.

Johnson continues by saying, “Everybody out there and men of color and everyone, all men, you need to check the box and get those screenings done. It’s a much simpler process than it was 20 years ago, much less invasive, and so it’s just a blood test. Go out there, get it done.”

New partnership launched promoting prostate cancer screenings

The Prostate Cancer Foundation has partnered with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to host the launch of their “Check the Box! Saving Lives Together” initiative. To celebrate the launch, they brought out a couple of legends with them.

The goal is to increase awareness around the dangers of late detected prostate cancer, while encouraging individuals, particularly men of color, to prioritize regular health screenings and having informed conversations with healthcare providers.

We spoke to 2x Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee Nancy Lieberman at the event, where she tells us, “I’m a Basketball Hall of Famer, and I felt like the Basketball Hall of Fame needed to be a part of this initiative for awareness, for knowledge. And to have men, black men, get tested because prostate cancer affects them, two and a half to one to white males over the age of 40.”

However, she wasn’t the only one to show her support on Monday, with 3x Emmy Winning Sports Journalist Jay Harris saying, “Until we get cures, because it will be cured because of the individual nature of these diseases. Awareness and early detection will save lives. Early detection helps save mine. So, I’m paying it forward in that respect.”

Also in attendance for the announcement was the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s Men of Color Health Awareness, whose focus is to empower men of color in the Greater Springfield community with tools to eliminate health disparities.

“That’s really been our message since MOCHA was created about 13 years ago. This is something that, just like hypertension and diabetes, that really impacts men of color at a disproportionate rate. And so that’s why MOCA was initially formed, just focusing on prostate cancer awareness and getting that message out there. Now they’ve expanded into some other things, you know, spreading the word about vaccinations and other things that are crucial to health for men of color,” Dexter Johnson, the CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield told us.

One of the key takeaways the PCF and medical providers want to emphasize through this initiative is that it’s never too early to get screened for prostate cancer, especially for black men of West African or Caribbean descent.

Johnson continues by saying, “Everybody out there and men of color and everyone, all men, you need to check the box and get those screenings done. It’s a much simpler process than it was 20 years ago, much less invasive, and so it’s just a blood test. Go out there, get it done.”

If you would like to know more prostate cancer research, click here.

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