Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Red Cross screens over 8K locals for prostate cancer; more ahead

Red Cross screens over 8K locals for prostate cancer; more ahead

For its 65th year of existence in the territory, the BVI Red Cross will be aiming to kick off 2021 with one of its major initiatives – the Men’s Health Fair, which has screened more than 8,000 males in the territory to date.

BVI Red Cross Director Stacy Lloyd said the organisation will be aiming to host the event in late January into early February.

Lloyd also highlighted the significance of the initiative which screen men for many health-related diseases including prostate cancer — one of the leading causes of death in local males.

“It’s not for profit. It’s something that we just do because we know it’s a need. The men look forward to it as it’s an opportunity for just men to come out and do their health checks, they’re not afraid, they talk to each other, they have a good time,” Lloyd told BVI News.

“Men would come and get a full health screening, we would send over the tests [to St Thomas, USVI], the results would return and they would get the results. So we check your sugar, your blood pressure. We invite different physicians to demonstrate nutrition, exercising, cardiovascular health, eye screening – we check for glaucoma – it’s a complete health check,” she explained.

Event grew significantly


Director Lloyd also said the success of the fair has seen it growing significantly over the years since it was first held back in 1998.

“It started off as a prostate screening and so the whole idea was just to test men across the territory. Men didn’t like to go to the doctor and we realised that there was a very growing case of prostate cancer in the Virgin Islands and our then-director decided to do a prostate screening for men,” Lloyd stated.

“The fair has gotten so big and has been so successful that we no longer host it at Red Cross. We’re trying to do it at the Multipurpose Centre because it’s bigger and of course we need to be able to do social distancing, etcetera,” she added.

Seeking sponsors and donors to assist with $20k bill


While the fair is completely free to all males attending for screening, there still exists overheads to host the event. Lloyd approximates these expenses to be around $20,000.

The director is appealing to all potential sponsors or donors to reach out to the BVI Red Cross and contribute whatever they can to assist with the successful hosting of the fair.

She said: “It costs about $20,000 to do the entire fair so when we do the prostate screening and we send away to get the results, that’s the most expensive part. We have to pay for the venue where we’re having it, we have to pay for the doctors to come over,” she said.

“The doctors don’t charge us to come because we have three doctors who come in from St Thomas and another who comes over on a boat all free of charge. But, of course, we have to provide accommodations and we have to feed them. We also have to pay for the tents, chairs, medical supplies which all comes up to about $20,000,” Lloyd explained.

The Men’s Health Fair is just one of the many community-based initiatives that the BVI Red Cross intends to host as it celebrates its 65th year of servicing the needs of the territory.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
×