July 21 2011

Australian gay and bisexual men living with prostate cancer will soon benefit from the development of a pilot support program – funded by Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) – that will deliver improved support and educational resources to the gay community.

PCFA will fund the development, implementation and evaluation of the Shine a Light pilot support program. It aims to improve awareness of prostate cancer risk and access to support.
With support from ACON, Cancer Council NSW, Cancer Council Victoria, Victorian Aids Council, La Trobe University, Monash University, the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and Male Care USA, the Shine a Light program is part of the “Gay and Bi-sexual Men’s Prostate Cancer Initiative” which PCFA is chairing.

It aims to recruit men from the gay community – both men diagnosed with prostate cancer and their partners – to attend three half day workshops in Sydney and Melbourne to help identify the specific prostate cancer support-needs in the gay community.

Dr Anthony Lowe, PCFA’s Chief Executive, says the success of the program will be a direct result of PCFA and its partners working closely with the gay community

“It is essential that PCFA works with men from the gay community who are affected by prostate cancer so that we are not making assumptions about their prostate cancer support needs and to ensure that we are delivering a program that provides the best source of support for this community,” said Dr Lowe.

In light of the prevalence of prostate cancer in Australia, Dr Lowe emphasised the importance of developing initiatives like the Shine a Light program so men from a variety of communities have easy access to support.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfarei, each year around 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and close to 3,300 men die as a direct result of the disease.

“With prostate cancer affecting such a vast number of Australian men and their loved ones, it is now time for PCFA and its partners to reach out to men in all communities so we can deliver an improved level of support. We hope to gain a lot from the Shine a Light pilot to help us with future initiatives,” said Dr Lowe.

Men who are interested in registering for the program of three half day workshops in Sydney or Melbourne are encouraged to contact Greg Millan from Men’s Health Services by email at greg@menshealthservices.com.au or mobile 0417772390. The three workshops are a package and men need to attend all three sessions.

Sydney Workshops

The Sydney workshops will take place on the 16th, 23rd and 30th August 2011 from 10:00am – 1:30pm at ACON, 414 Elizabeth Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 and registration is essential.

Melbourne Workshops

The Melbourne workshops will take place on the 6th, 13th and 20th October at the Victorian Aids Council/Gay Men's Health Centre and registration is essential.

More info

For more information about prostate cancer, speak with your doctor, visit www.prostate.org.au, or free call 1800 22 00 99.

For all media enquiries related to this program, please contact:

Greg Millan
Men’s Health Consultant
Phone: 0417772390
Email: greg@menshealthservices.com.au