Community Northern Brooklyn

Maimonides hosts cancer prevention event for Brooklyn’s Chinese-speaking community

Progressive cross-cultural outreach helps foster preventative medicine

March 15, 2024 Wayne Daren Schneiderman
From left: Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services, Maimonides Medical Center; Emily Amitin, development director, American Lung Association; Lenia Batas, cancer screening program manager, Maimonides; Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program; and Jane Duong, chief of staff for State Sen. Iwen Chu.Photos by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
From left: Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services, Maimonides Medical Center; Emily Amitin, development director, American Lung Association; Lenia Batas, cancer screening program manager, Maimonides; Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program; and Jane Duong, chief of staff for State Sen. Iwen Chu.
Photos by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
Share this:

SUNSET PARK — Maimonides Cancer Center and Asian Community Services hosted a seminar on cancer prevention, screening, and early detection for more than 200 community members at Park Asia Restaurant on Wednesday afternoon.

The event, geared to educate attendees on cancer risk factors and healthy lifestyle choices to help prevent cancer, was supported by the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention and the office of State Sen. Iwen Chu.

While the presentations were given in Chinese, the Brooklyn Eagle managed to speak exclusively with hospital representatives before and after the event.

Subscribe to our newsletters

Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program.
Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program.

“The purpose of cancer screening is to identify cancer in its early stages — or even precancerous lesions, which, if removed, would prevent cancer development,” explained Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program. He pointed out that the hospital has different screening programs for different types of cancer — be it breast, colon, or lung — the three most common and significant.

“Screening is typically done via low-dose CT scan for the lungs; a colonoscopy for colon cancer; and a mammogram or sonogram for breast cancer,” Huang said.

From left: Mary Cheung; Lenia Batas, cancer screening program manager, Maimonides; Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services; Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program; and Harold Wodinski, Maimonides senior VP for physician enterprise and new business development — under an inflatable colon.
From left: Mary Cheung; Lenia Batas, cancer screening program manager, Maimonides; Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services; Yiwu Huang, attending physician, Maimonides Cancer Center, and program director, hematology/oncology fellowship training program; and Harold Wodinski, Maimonides senior VP for physician enterprise and new business development — under an inflatable colon.

As for who can and should be screened — “those at high risk, which has a lot to do with their family history,” he added.

Emily Amitin, development director for the American Lung Association, said that lung cancer is the number one cancer killer nationwide in both men and women — but unfortunately, people often find out about it too late.

“We are all about screening awareness,” Amitin said. “And to be eligible for screening, you simply must be between 50 and 80 years old and have a history of smoking — although it is still possible to get lung cancer if you have never smoked and if you are young.”

Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services, Maimonides Medical Center.
Janice Yang, executive director, Asian Community Services, Maimonides Medical Center.

Amitin explained that screening is quick and painless, and therefore, people should not be apprehensive.

“Over the last 10 years, the lung cancer survival rate has increased more than 52 percent,” she said, “which is huge. And like any cancer, if you catch it early enough, it’s very treatable.”

Lenia Batas, cancer screening program manager at Maimonides, pointed out that one of her roles is to address the “emotional aspect” of things — and get to the root of why people might not be getting screened and what it is that they are afraid of.

More than 200 people attended Maimonides’ cancer prevention, screening, and early detection event at Park Asia restaurant Wednesday.
More than 200 people attended Maimonides’ cancer prevention, screening, and early detection event at Park Asia restaurant Wednesday.

“In the Asian community — and the Hispanic community — there is only a 50 percent screening rate,” Batas said. “So by having these outreach events, we are able to connect with the communities we serve to help raise awareness and to elicit that support of getting the resources and the care that they need.”


Leave a Comment

Related Articles

Leave a Comment