Newswise — TAMPA, Fla. – Moffitt Cancer Center and its community partners will once again host the annual Men’s Health Forum on Saturday, March 18, from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the University of South Florida Marshall Student Center. This marks the 17th year of the forum and baseball legend Ken Griffey Sr. is scheduled to appear.

Griffey Sr., an MLB all-star who spent 19 seasons on the baseball diamond, is an advocate for cancer screening, particularly for prostate cancer. The major leaguer lost four uncles to prostate cancer and is convinced that his mother’s encouragement to be screened saved his life. At age 55, doctors discovered he did have prostate cancer and he had robotic surgery to remove it.

“I’ve lost four uncles to prostate cancer,” Griffey Sr. said. “It was a common topic in our home. Despite how much we’d talked about prostate cancer… when it came to my diagnosis, I was surprised by how hard it became for me to speak up.”

Hillsborough County commissioner and cancer survivor Les Miller and Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez also plan to attend. Miller, who beat kidney and prostate cancer with the help of Moffitt, is scheduled to make opening statements.

The Men’s Health Forum is free and will boast 50 exhibitors. The annual event provides access to free health screenings, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, HIV/AIDS/STI, skin cancer and more assessments, to medically underserved and uninsured men in Tampa Bay.

“The Men’s Health Forum is a wonderful opportunity for men in and around Tampa Bay to learn about cancer screening and get appropriate screening for a number of health-related issues,” says Dr. Julio Pow-Sang, chairman of Genitourinary Oncology at Moffitt. “It is a way for health care professionals to work directly with men who may otherwise not have access to quality health care.”

At the 2016 Men’s Health Forum, more than 400 men completed 2,200-plus exams that are critical to health and longevity

-Of 432 men examined, 64% were uninsured or underinsured-Of 331 men tested, 37% had pre-hypertension and another 35% had high blood pressure-116 men were educated on the importance of prostate testing and received vouchers for free prostate testing at Moffitt Cancer Center-Of 225 men receiving skin cancer exams, 32% had suspicious skin findings and needed further follow-up by a physician-Of 303 men tested, 11% were identified as at-risk for diabetes-Sponsors of this year’s Men’s Health Forum include Moffitt Cancer Center, Bayer/Men -Who Speak Up, The Wawa Foundation, Tampa General Hospital, Genesis 680AM, Florida Blue, WMNF 88.5 FM, The Urban Cafe, HART, Spectrum and the New York Yankees.

About Moffitt Cancer CenterMoffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 47 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s excellence in research, clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is the No. 6 cancer hospital in the nation and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of the “Best Hospitals” for cancer care since 1999. Moffitt devotes more than 2.5 million square feet to research and patient care. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 5,200 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.1 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.