HPV Vaccine Cancer Prevention Event at Howard Brown Health Center June 29, 2012

June 28-29 Chicago Events To Encourage HPV Vaccination to Prevent Cancer

WHAT: Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) will present two educational events to encourage human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent cancer among LBTQ (lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning) girls and young women. “Future cancer cases can be significantly reduced through this vaccine,” said Betsy Rubinstein, manager of the Lesbian Community Care Project at HBHC. “Children, teens and young adults should receive it as a preventive care measure.”

The educational presentation will be provided by Dr. Lisa M. Henry-Reid, chair of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Stroger Hospital of Cook County and adolescent medicine physician at HBHC. Attendees will receive information about where to access the vaccine and how to cover the costs through Medicaid, insurance or financial assistance. Event attendees will also have an opportunity to sign up for the Pink Illinois Healthy Women Card, which will give them access to additional reproductive healthcare benefits through the State of Illinois.

WHEN, WHERE: The first event will occur from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, at the Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside Avenue, Chicago. The second event will occur from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 29, at Howard Brown Health Center, 4025 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago.

WHO: Girls and young women age 11-26 are invited to attend. Parents are also welcome to participate.

WHY: The event was organized in response to a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report stating that only 26 percent of Illinois teen-aged girls have received the recommended three doses of the HPV vaccine, which creates immunity from a viral infection that is the primary cause of cervical cancer and a contributor to head and neck, skin and other cancers. The percentage of teens receiving the vaccine was even lower among blacks and those living in poverty. HPV infection accounts for about 5 percent of cancers worldwide, according to the National Cancer Institute. Cervical cancer alone afflicts more than 12,000 American women each year.

Millions of Americans so far have received the HPV vaccine, which has been approved for use in over 70 countries. The teen years and early adulthood are the years during which individuals are most susceptible to HPV infection. While most HPV infections do not result in cancer, they do increase the risk of cancer.
HOW: The event is being supported by the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Center for Minority Services and the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA). These organizations have started the Illinois Women Against Cervical Cancer (www.livecancerfree.org) program to encourage cancer prevention and early detection. IPHA recently passed a resolution calling for a comprehensive, statewide HPV vaccination program directed toward females and males age 9-26.

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Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/383753271672554/