LBJ Hospital and ASCCN offering free women’s clinic for HPV study
The LBJ Tropical Medical Center and the American Samoa Community Cancer Network will be hosting free clinics for local women, in an effort to conduct a joint study on the prevalence of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the territory.
(HPV is considered a leading cause of cervical cancer in women).
A total of 200 women are needed for the study which was launched earlier this year in August through a joint project between the ASCCN, the LBJ Hospital, and the University of Hawaii.
The first clinic will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the LBJ Hospital, and the services are free of charge for the participants. Each woman that takes part in the study will receive a free pap smear, blood test, HPV test, and after the tests are completed, each woman will also get $10 for gas.
If 200 women are not found on Nov. 8, another free clinic will be hosted the following week, on Saturday, Nov. 15
Each woman that participates in the study will have to meet strict criteria. They include:
*Must be 18 years old or older – if under 21, must not be a virgin;
*Must not be pregnant, or have been pregnant in the last seven months;
*Must not have had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of reproductive organs);
*Must not have a history of blood clotting disorder
Only a certain number of women from different age groups will be included in the study.
Representatives from UH who are working on this study will be visiting the territory next year in February.
|
