Nonprofit to host women’s health conference Sunday in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — You’ve probably found yourself at some point asking a lot of questions during a doctor’s visit. A weekend conference in Kansas City, Kansas is designed to allow women to do just that. Especially when it comes to cancer prevention.
One of the presentations will be focused on HPV and addressing vaccine hesitancy.
Immunize Kansas Coalition wants to create a space for women to talk about women’s health.
Amanda Applegate is part of the group who’s hosting “Entre Mujeres: The Health of Women” in KCK on Sunday.
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“This is certainly something where we want to be able to lift women up. Bring them together and have these conversations that could save a life,” Applegate said.
“When we had this event out in western Kansas, we had over 275 women attend to be able to get some of these answers to questions they may have had or just be validated,” she continued.
Topics include maternal mortality, cervical cancer prevention, people will also have the chance to get vaccinated against HPV, Human Papillomavirus.
“What I do see as a female provider, because we do get female patients that want to talk about their symptoms and we do see a lot of HPV, we see a lot of abnormal cells in cervical pap smears,” said Nohemi Alvarez, a local family nurse practitioner.
The Centers for Disease Control says nearly everyone will get HPV at some point. It spreads through intimate skin-to-skin contact. It can also cause cancer later in life.
The CDC recommends getting the vaccine at ages 11 through 12. It’s also recommended for boys.
“At such a young age, parents are worried about it, the general fears of HPV as a sexually transmitted disease or infection but the whole purpose is to prevent cancer,” Alvarez said.
For parents, the conversations surrounding safe sex can be uncomfortable but they can also prevent a more serious situation.
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“I think if we start the conversation around cancer prevention, I think it’s a more comfortable conversation for everyone involved and I think that’s a great place to start,” Alvarez said.
Doctors say it’s best to get the vaccine early, to build immunity, but adults can talk with their health care provider and consider getting vaccinated too.
The conference Sunday will take place at Memorial Hall from noon until 4 p.m. It’s $10 to register and will be mostly in Spanish with an English interpreter.
You can also visit the health department’s website for more information about vaccines and if you qualify to get them for free.
