Health department offers free prostate exams

GAZETTE STAFF The Whiteside County Health Department is offering free prostate cancer screenings for men 40 and older who either have no health insurance or high insurance deductibles. The screenings include free PSA blood tests and prostate education. All screenings are by appointment only, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 20 at the clinic, 1300 W. 2nd St., Rock Falls. No other free screening dates are planned. Prostate cancer is treatable when caught in its early stages, said Joan Saunders, the health department's head of infectious diseases. "Men should start being screened at age 40 if they have a family history of prostate cancer, or otherwise at 50 years old," Saunders said. For more information or to make an appointment, call (815) 626-2230, ext. 1232, or go to www.whitesidehealth.org online. Blood donations taken this weekGAZETTE STAFF Blood donors, especially O and all Rh negative blood types, are asked to donate from 4 to 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the American Red Cross, 112 W. Second St., Rock Falls. Call (815) 625-0382 to make an appointment; walk-ins are welcome.