Pap test campaign at Sharbot Lake FHT

Oct 20, 2011

In an effort to increase the awareness, prevention and early detection of cervical cancer, the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team (SLFHT) will be offering pap tests to sexually active women of all ages, whether they are regular patients at the clinic or not.

The tests are in support of Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, which is hosted by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC). The hosts have invited family physicians from across the country to participate in the National Pap Test Campaign by hosting public pap test clinics during the week of October 23-29, 2011. Their goal is to “encourage all women to have regular pap tests by a health care professional (family physician, obstetrician-gynecologist, registered nurse or midwife),...since knowledge, screening and vaccination are key to help reduce the number of women who are impacted by this largely preventable cancer. “

Every year in Canada 400,000 women receive abnormal pap test results and of these, 1300-1500 are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Of those diagnosed almost 400 will die of the disease.

Brenda Bonner, the nurse practitioner at the SLFHT, is also a member of the SOGC and said a pap test is “really the only way to detect abnormal cells in the cervix which, if left undetected, can cause cancer and lead to needless deaths.”

Surprisingly many Canadian women do not get screened. According to statistics, 15% of sexually active women have never been screened and 30% have not been screened in the last three years. Bonner says that women should be screened every year consecutively for three years and if no abnormalities arise then just once every three years after that. “Cervical cancer develops over time and a simple pap test, which takes just a few minutes, can prevent hours, days, months and years of suffering, surgeries and treatments.” Those wanting a test need not be a regular patient at the clinic and should call the Sharbot Lake clinic at 613-279-2100 to make an appointment. The tests will run there on October 25 and 26 from 1-4PM, October 28 from 8AM- 12PM and October 29 from 10AM-12PM. Patients need to bring their health card and the clinic will provide the follow up.