Using faith in the fight against prostate cancer

In the time it takes to finish reading this story, one man will have died from prostate cancer. With a disease that is 99% curable if caught early, the question becomes: why are so many men still dying?

According to ZERO Prostate Cancer, in 2024, Virginia ranked 19th in the nation for prostate cancer deaths. Black men are over two times more likely to die from prostate cancer. 

Health disparities, stigma, and fear have created barriers and decades of distrust. For many men, this has made faith and religious communities the first place to go when seeking advice or ways to cope.

“Our faith communities continue to be proven partners in terms of our care delivery model,” said Wiliam Crawley, senior director of operations for Sentara Community Care’s Hampton Roads region. “Sentara is willing to sit at the feet of the partner and listen instead of saying, ‘This is the care we’re going to provide,’ we listen to inform the care we deliver.”

Since its inception three years ago, Sentara Community Cares has worked to build strong relationships with faith-based non-profits, churches, and places of worship throughout Virginia by providing health screenings and education.

A wake-up call in retirement

“The doctor felt a nodule on my prostate and I don’t know if it’s cancer yet,” said 52-year-old Reverend Billy Hunter, a retired naval officer with 26 years of service. “I have a biopsy in October and then I’ll know.”

As a Presiding Elder, Hunter oversees 30 African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches in Hampton Roads and central, western and southwestern Virginia. 

After his recent experience getting a prostate exam, Hunter invited Betsy Carroll, a cancer community educator with Sentara, and Tiffany Rodgers, marketing director for the Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute (HUPCI), to speak with leaders representing 30 churches at the AME’s Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District Conference. 

“Oh wows” filled the church as Rodgers said, “A man is diagnosed every two minutes, and a man dies of prostate cancer every fifteen minutes.”

She passionately pleaded with the men to get screened, to tell their loved ones to get screened.  

Rodgers (left), Hunter (center), and Carroll at AME’s Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District Conference.

Last year, Sentara adopted new guidelines recommending Black men and men at high risk begin screening between ages 40-45. Men with average risk can begin prostate cancer screening at age 50.

“We have the clinical information, but these leaders are trusted by the communities we’re trying to reach and so it’s invaluable for them to be messengers as well,” said Carroll. 

Hunter also shared with leaders that Sentara and HUPCI are looking for partnerships to host prostate cancer screenings.

“The local church is definitely the vehicle,” said Hunter. “Our men who may have a complex in going to the hospital can instead come to the church and have that screening taken at a place they trust.”

The ‘man up’ mentality

As senior pastor of New Beech Grove Baptist Church, Willard Maxwell often found himself addressing the mindset that men must “man up” and push through, even at the expense of their health.

“We just run ourselves in the ground, pretty much,” Maxwell reflected. “You’re taught to push your pain down, and it goes over into your health.” 

Pastor Maxwell uses his influence in the community to spread the message of preventative health.

He has witnessed men lose their lives because of that mindset. He recalled a friend concerned for her fiancé, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and refused treatment out of fear that it would affect his sexual function.

“She was talking to me, saying, ‘He said he would rather die than for them to cut or do whatever,' and he ended up dying,” Maxwell said.

Now, health and wellness discussions have become a priority in Maxwell’s preachings. He recognizes that those who listen to him will be more willing to change their habits if they see him practicing what he preaches.

“It starts with us, and when they see us doing it, then they’ll begin to take care of themselves.”

The bigger picture – health disparities and stigma 

A prostate screening typically involves a prostate-specific antigen blood test and, in some cases, a digital rectal exam (DRE). The DRE allows a doctor to check for abnormalities on the prostate, which many men avoid because of stigma and discomfort.

Every September, Sentara Health, Hampton University Proton Cancer Institute, and the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum, come together to host an early detection prostate cancer screening event that is open to the public.

“After surviving prostate cancer, I realized how powerful it is when men hear the truth from someone who’s lived it,” said Charlie Hill, prostate cancer survivor and cofounder of the Hampton Roads Prostate Health Forum. This year’s 4th Annual Prostate Cancer & Men's Health Awareness Fair is on Sept. 27. 

“When we bring these conversations into trusted spaces—like the church—we give men and their families a safe place to ask questions, talk about intimacy, and learn how to protect their health. Early detection saves lives, and I want every man to know that.” 

Rodgers (middle) and Eric Conley, executive vice president of acute and post-acute care at Sentara, speak about the importance of health organizations partnering together to promote prostate cancer awareness.

Sentara’s team of cancer community educators and others work to ensure awareness and access to screenings are equitable.

“Early detection yields tremendous impact on health outcomes, and to have an event of this magnitude is invaluable,” said Crawley.

Prostate cancer does not have to be a death sentence — it is a highly survivable diagnosis. With knowledge and early detection, men can take control and protect their health.

For more information about prostate cancer, click here.