Care, consent, and access: C.W. Wiebe to reduce barriers to cervical cancer testing

On January 22nd, C.W. Wiebe Medical Centre and Pembina Valley Pride are teaming up to host a welcoming event that, according to executive director Karen Denise Cyr, will offer access to “a really important” cancer screening in a relaxed environment. An inclusive Pop-Up Pap Test Clinic A Pop-Up Pap Test Clinic will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the south end of the clinic in honour of Cervical Health Awareness Month. “This special event is really intended to raise awareness about the need for us to take care of our health and, in particular, our cervical health,” said Cyr. “C.W. Wiebe has a fantastic team of physicians that are out looking out for the health and welfare of all our community members that need health care and support, and on this special day on January 22nd, ... we're going to have a really fun, low-key, time where people can come and they can get their cervix checked and they can have some popcorn and some ... Bubbly.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/pvol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064209272-bbm1'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064209272]) s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); Who should get a Pap test? Dr. Rachel Noble, also from C.W. Wiebe Clinic, said that anyone with a cervix between the ages of 21 and 69 should consider getting a Pap test, which is a procedure that collects cells from the cervix to check for cancer. While both acknowledge that no one particularly enjoys the process, C.W. Wiebe strives to make it as comfortable as possible, and for Cyr, the peace of mind the test can offer is worth it. “If you take care of that, you can enjoy the rest of life knowing that you've screened yourself for cancer,” she said. “Hopefully, the answer is you don't have it, and you can live a full and productive life. It's quite sad if ... something that can be caught and detected early and treated appropriately is something that would hold people back from being able to live a full life.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/pvol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064209272-bbm2'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064209272]) s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); Addressing barriers to care with an event for everyone Dr. Noble added that, as a care provider, she has seen (especially during the pandemic) how fear can act as a barrier to people accessing healthcare. “We are holding this event in partnership with Pembina Valley Pride to just show that love is more powerful than fear, and we want everyone to come down,” she said. “We know that [experiencing] certain situations or certain patterns of abuse or not being accepted by society or [having] financial issues can also drive people to not seek healthcare attention, and so we just want to do this event in the evening and make it a little bit more time-friendly for people.” Dr. Noble added that those who would like a screening do not need their health card to get a Pap test. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/pvol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064209272-bbm3'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064209272]) s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); A ‘very preventable cancer’ The OB-GYN added that about 1 in 50 people in Manitoba are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, but fortunately, she said it’s a “very preventable cancer.” “Almost entirely, the cases are caught when they're just at the pre-cancerous stage or even pre-pre-cancerous stage, and that's the benefit of doing a Pap test is that we can catch any pre-cancer cells and we can treat them and provide care so that it doesn't progress to cervical cancer,” she said. “It's a really powerful tool.” Related stories: New free ‘store’ to provide necessities to Morden residents Winkler welcomes Pembina Valley Hospice House, first of its kind in the region As for the test, she said it consists of a pelvic exam, which will be administered by female providers who will be mindful of consent throughout the process. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/pvol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064209272-bbm4'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064209272]) s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); “We are able to visualize the cervix after we do the speculum part,” she said. “We're also seeing some research projects through Cancer Care Manitoba that are examining the possibility of even doing self-screening, which is really exciting, so I think that ... if we encountered someone on Thursday that was really having difficulties, at the very least, we would try to do the self-swabbing.” Support every step of the way Cyr added that while the comfort level of a Pap test varies from person to person, the pop-up event’s atmosphere will be designed to make the process as approachable as possible. “All the things that we're feeling and thinking leading up to it ... impact how we perceive what's going on, so if we can kind of help a person to be calm and talk about anything that they're concerned about and feel safe, then it will be an easier thing to experience,” she said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/pvol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064209272-bbm5'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064209272]) s.addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().refresh([s], {changeCorrelator: false}); } }); “And again, knowing the why. It’s a means to an end, and the end is a good one — being cancer-free.” The Pop-Up Pap Test Clinic takes place on January 22nd from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 385 Main Street in Winkler. Anyone with a cervix is welcome. With files from Jayme Giesbrecht