Fulton County partners with Emory to provide free prostate cancer screenings to uninsured Atlanta-area men

A Fulton County commissioner has partnered with Emory's Winship Cancer Institute to provide free prostate cancer screenings for men.

"I found out last fall that I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and I learned early," Commissioner Bob Ellis said. "That gave me the opportunity to develop a treatment plan that worked for me."

Ellis joined 110 men who received free screenings Thursday through a simple blood test.

"When it came up, my wife said, 'You better go do it.' I said, 'Yes, ma'am,'" participant Rashad Mincey said.

The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 334,000 men nationwide will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2026 and more than 36,000 will die from the disease. About one in eight men will be diagnosed during his lifetime.

Black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer.

"They have two to three times the risk of men of other races of developing prostate cancer, and importantly as well, their risk of developing it is at an earlier age," said Dr. Martin Sanda of Emory's Winship Cancer Institute.

Sanda said one in six Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Georgia ranks fifth nationally in prostate cancer diagnoses and eighth in prostate cancer deaths, according to ZERO Prostate Cancer.

"Notably, when caught early in Black men, the treatments are just as effective," Sanda said. "It's really about catching it early."

Men do not need insurance to receive a free screening through Winship's mobile unit. Upcoming stops and registration information are available on Emory Healthcare's prostate screening bus website