BRYAN, Texas — Taking care of men’s mental and physical wellbeing, the Brazos County Health District is hosting MEN-tion IT. This is an opportunity for men to come and connect with local health professionals while sipping on a cup of coffee.
According to Texas Oncology, more than 280,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023.
John Young is a community health worker at the Brazos County Health District.
“I’m one of those men that don’t like going to doctors,” Young said. “I have a few friends that I have talked to in the past and they told me ‘I went on a routine checkup, and I got prostate cancer.’ It’s kind of personal to me so I was like 'hey, let’s do our first event about prostate cancer.'”
Dr. Ben Elizondo with the health district emphasizes the importance of men’s health.
“They have a lot of concerns each day about living and taking care of others… but I think the most important thing for them to remember that they have their health they need to pay attention to also because men aren’t always the best at taking care of themselves,” Dr. Elizondo said.
According to Texas Oncology, there were 17,320 of cases of prostate cancer here in Texas in 2023, with 2,290 expected to die from the disease.
“One in 44 men will die from prostate cancer,” Dr. Elizondo said.
This is why Young is helping spread the word in our neighborhoods.
“We’ve actually been hand delivering flyers around town to get men here,” Young said.
Dr. Elizondo said it’s important to have your PSA checked—prostate specific antigen—test yearly.
“I think it’s important than men realize that something like prostate cancer can be very subtle and so there’s some things that you might want to pay attention to but at the end of the day, having that discussion with your primary care doctor or with a clinic, or checking it yourself is important to your own prostate health,” Dr. Elizondo said.
“A lot of men have fear of doctors,” Young said. “It’s my duty to try to spread the word. It’s not that bad, just go in and have your bloodwork done. That way you’ll know and have a peace of mind.”
There are multiple treatment options available to men here locally. Our doctors recommend you come in before your symptoms progress.
The men’s event will be April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Brazos County Health District.