Mitchell Cancer Institute presents rural prostate cancer screening initiative at national conference
Funded by a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health, LAPOP operates through a mobile RV clinic that travels to Mobile, Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Washington, and Escambia counties.
By Jessica Jones
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Carrie McNair, MPH, research assistant for cancer control and prevention at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI), presented a poster at the 2025 American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) Annual Meeting, highlighting an innovative mobile outreach initiative designed to increase prostate cancer screenings among underserved groups in southwest Alabama.
Titled “Meet Them Where They Are: Using a Mobile Clinic to Increase Prostate Cancer Screening with the Lower Alabama Prostate Outreach Program (LAPOP),” McNair’s presentation focused on how MCI is expanding access to care by bringing free, potentially life-saving screenings directly to the communities that need them most.
Funded by a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health, LAPOP operates through a mobile RV clinic that travels to Mobile, Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Washington, and Escambia counties. The program provides free prostate cancer screenings to men who qualify, targeting those ages 40 to 49 who are at increased risk, and those ages 50 to 75 who are at average risk.
“Many men in our region face barriers like transportation, cost, or a lack of access to primary care,” McNair said. “LAPOP is designed to remove those barriers and build trust by showing up in the places where men live, work, and gather.”
Screenings are conducted through a simple blood draw to test PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels. Participants receive a follow-up on their results, and those with abnormal PSA levels are referred to USA Health University Urology for further testing, which is also covered by the program.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, and Black men are more likely to be diagnosed and die from the disease. LAPOP’s community-based approach is aimed at addressing that disparity by offering accessible, no-cost screenings in familiar, trusted locations such as churches, community centers, and barber shops.
MCI’s research and the LAPOP model drew interest at ASPO as a promising example of how academic medicine can collaborate with public health to create meaningful, community-centered cancer prevention strategies.
