The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois will offer free prostate cancer screenings Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading cancers among men. Early detection allows for more treatment options, said Tia Rapps, a registered nurse and a urology nurse navigator with Memorial Medical Center.

The screenings will be provided from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Simmons Cancer Institute, 315 W. Carpenter St. Springfield. The free screenings include a PSA blood test, physician-performed digital rectal exam and blood pressure readings.

The screenings are recommended for men from 55 to 69 years old who have no history of prostate cancer and are not under the routine care of urologist; men older than 40 if they have a family history of a father, brother or son diagnosed with cancer; and African American men over 40, who have twice the risk of dying from prostate cancer than men of any other race.

Registration is required. To schedule an appointment for a prostate cancer screening, call 217-788-3528. Registration opens on Sept. 2.

The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois comprises more than 30 members representing more than 15 organizations, including Memorial Medical Center, HSHS St. John’s Hospital, SIU Medicine, Springfield Clinic, Simmons Cancer Institute, the Sangamon County Department of Public Health and the NAACP.