The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) is proud to launch a new preventative health program called G.P.S.-Get Preventative Screenings (www.truckersfund.org/gps). We are pointing drivers in the right direction towards good health. We are excited to work with Call on Doc in providing this program designed to offer drivers the opportunity to take certain tests in the comfort of their truck, home, or labs across the country, at their convenience. SCF is offering this screening test free of charge for all Class A, OTR professional truck drivers.
At SCF our goal is to provide preventative health programs to encourage drivers to take control of their health and stop some preventable diseases. At least two of our programs were created in response to applications that we received. Our Rigs without Cigs program was invented after learning that approximately 80% of our applicants smoked and over 130 had lung cancer. Driving Down Diabetes was created and implemented upon seeing that over 1,100 of our applicants had diabetes. Yes, over 1,100! However, cancer remains the number one reason drivers reach out to us for assistance.
Seeing a need for a program to meet drivers where they are, G.P.S. was created to provide routine screenings recommended by the CDC. We know many don’t get home for weeks or months at a time and scheduling a checkup is not on the priority list. Many people operate on the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Unfortunately, by not doing general maintenance on our bodies, we jeopardize our health.
Currently, drivers can take a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test which tests for prostate cancer. The screening tests for high PSA levels in the blood which can be an indicator of possible cancer. At SCF we have had over 80 applicants with a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Some types of prostate cancer are slow and need minimal or no treatment. Other types are aggressive and can quickly spread. The best chance for a positive outcome is to catch the cancer in its early stage where is it contained within the prostate.
There are some risk factors to keep in mind.
- Being over the age of 50 increases the risk.
- Race-African Americans are at higher risk than others.
- Obesity
- Family history
If you have any of the risk factors listed above, get tested. Your job, your future or your life may depend on it.
The American Cancer Society has the following recommendations concerning PSA screenings:
- Age 50 for men who are at average risk of prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years.
- Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65).
- Age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age).
If no prostate cancer is found as a result of the screening, the time between future screenings depends on the results of the PSA blood test:
- Men who choose to be tested who have a PSA of less than 2.5 ng/mL may only need to be retested every 2 years.
- Screening should be done yearly for men whose PSA level is 2.5 ng/mL or higher.
To get more information on our G.P.S program, or to get your PSA test, visit our website at www.truckersfund.org/gps.
Later in 2023 we plan to also offer free at-home colon cancer screenings for everyone and HPV screenings for women so be sure to check back in for those!