UAB O’Neal Cancer Center and City of Birmingham Partner Offer Free Prostate Cancer Screenings for City Employees

In a proactive step toward advancing public health, the University of Alabama at Birmingham O’Neal Cancer Center teamed with the City of Birmingham to offer no-cost PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) screenings for prostate cancer to city employees. The screenings took place Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Brownstone BWell Clinic, the dedicated healthcare facility for Birmingham City workers.

This initiative underscores a shared commitment to early detection and cancer prevention, particularly for prostate cancer, which remains one of the most common cancers among men. The PSA screening is a simple blood test that can help identify prostate issues before symptoms arise, potentially saving lives through early intervention.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Barry Sleckman M.D., Ph.D., Director of the O’Neal Cancer Center, addressed the Birmingham City Council to highlight the center’s cancer care services and groundbreaking clinical research. As Alabama’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the O’Neal Cancer Center plays a pivotal role in delivering cutting-edge treatment and advancing cancer science across the region.

Additionally, Sleckman spoke optimistically about the future, gesturing broadly at the scope of the work done at the O’Neal Cancer Center and the important work that still lays ahead.

“This partnership reflects the O’Neal Cancer Center’s mission to bring world-class cancer care directly to the community,” Sleckman said. “By working with the City of Birmingham, we’re making it easier for their employees to access potentially life-saving screenings and learn more about the resources available to them.”

Veronica Merritt, Chief Compliance Officer for the City of Birmingham, serves on the O’Neal Cancer Center Board of Advisors and co-chairs the Board’s Community Engagement Committee. She praised the collaboration as a model for how institutions can work together to improve public health outcomes, thanking the UAB O’Neal Clinical staff members who volunteered to provide the screenings.

—Richard Nieves