{"id":18010,"date":"2026-04-14T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18010"},"modified":"2026-04-14T12:00:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:00:45","slug":"rahd-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-month","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/rahd-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-month\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department Urges Community Action During Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 14, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Dr. Zelalem Attlee, <a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department Urges Community Action During Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 April is <a href=\"https:\/\/preventcancer.org\/prevention-screening\/cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-month\/\">Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month<\/a>\u00a0and the Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department wants you to know the critical importance of healthy lifestyles, immunizations, regular screenings, and early detection in reducing cancer risk and improving outcomes for Virginians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCancer prevention starts with everyday choices that support healthy living,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D. \u201cDuring National Cancer Prevention Month, we encourage our community to reduce risk by staying active, eating well, avoiding tobacco, and staying up to date on recommended screenings, because prevention is the best protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cancer is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/virginia-cancer-registry\/cancer-clusters\/\">second leading cause of death<\/a>\u00a0in Virginia. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health Department experiences 435\/100,000 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/virginia-cancer-dashboards\/cancer-incidence-and-mortality-in-virginia\/\">cancer cases<\/a>\u00a0and 157.8 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/virginia-cancer-dashboards\/cancer-incidence-and-mortality-in-virginia\/\">cancer deaths<\/a>\u00a0per 100,000. The most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/data\/virginia-cancer-dashboards\/top-cancers-in-virginia\/\">common cancers in Virginia<\/a>\u00a0include breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Early detection through screening improves survival rates. Yet disparities persist in <a href=\"https:\/\/gis.cdc.gov\/Cancer\/USCS\/#\/StateCounty\/\">screening rates<\/a> and outcomes among different communities.<\/p>\n<p>The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department offers the following programs to help our community prevent cancer or lead to early diagnosis Cancer screening referrals (mammograms, colonoscopy, Pap tests).<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department offers these prevention and early detection tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get regular screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer as recommended by your healthcare provider.<\/li>\n<li>Get vaccinated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. HPV vaccination prevents six different types of cancers from ever developing.<\/li>\n<li>Eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, and stay physically active.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid tobacco use and limit alcohol consumption.<\/li>\n<li>Protect your skin from excessive sun exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To learn more about VDH cancer prevention programs, eligibility for free screenings, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/cancer\/resources\/\">www.vdh.virginia.gov\/cancer\/resources\/<\/a> or call 1-800-CDC-INFO. For more information contact the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health Department at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 14, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department Urges Community Action During Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 April is Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month\u00a0and the Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department wants you to know the critical importance of healthy lifestyles, immunizations, regular screenings, and early detection in reducing cancer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1008],"class_list":["post-18010","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-cancer"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department Urges Community Action During Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/rahd-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health Department Urges Community Action During Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 14, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. 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