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ALBANY, GA -- "The best protection is early detection," said Darrell Sabbs of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

Sabbs is talking about prostate cancer and it’s the reason over 300 men actually took a break from work to attend ‘Men at Work’ at the Albany Government Center.

The event is a partnership between the Phoebe Cancer Center, the Water, Gas and Light Commission, and other organizations providing free screenings, information, and even massages to employees of Albany, Dougherty County.

"It’s all about men realizing the importance of taking charge of their own health because as we say, if you know better, than you’ll do better," said Sabbs.

James Hubbard is one of the men that took advantage of the opportunity to get a free screening.

"It’s a good program to see where I’m at," said Hubbard. "It’s good to check your prostate while you’re still young."

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of death for men in Southwest Georgia but one of the things the men learned is that it doesn’t have to be. Doing simple things like exercising and not smoking can significantly decrease your chances of getting the disease.

Rodney Siau, a nurse practitioner, discussed the signs of potential prostate problems with the men.

"Men can experience decrease of urinary flow or stream, weakness in the stream, a lot of frequency," said Siau.

The opposite - difficulty urinating  – is also possible, along with erectile dysfunction.

There are a variety of effective treatment options available but the key is catching the disease early.