Community Visionaries: The MAN VAN®

You can’t miss this blue vehicle driving down the street — the bold lettering, the unmistakable message and the simple truth that it’s here to help save lives. It’s called The MAN VAN®, a fully mobile men’s health clinic with a mission that’s changing the way Albertan men access care.

Born from a vision by Calgary urologist, Dr. Bryan Donnelly, The MAN VAN®, operated by the Prostate Cancer Centre in Calgary, hit the road in 2009 as Canada’s first mobile men’s health clinic, bringing prostate cancer awareness and screening directly to men aged 40 to 70 who need it most.

Since then, it has evolved into a lifeline for more than 70,000 men across the province, many of whom aren’t likely to book a doctor’s appointment on their own. The MAN VAN® brings the clinic to them — no excuses, no referrals, no appointments. Just walk up, register, and in about 15 minutes, you'll have taken a powerful step in protecting your health.

The heart of The MAN VAN® is the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test, a simple and effective way to flag potential prostate issues. If a patient’s test is flagged with an elevated PSA level, the Prostate Cancer Centre’s team of healthcare professionals follow up with them and provides direction for further testing. No matter the case, every patient will receive their blood test results directly, even if they don’t have a family doctor. 

In early 2020, the team also introduced a mental wellness check to add on to the blood test if the patient chooses. “We know that, unfortunately, the same group of men who can be at high risk for prostate cancer, the ages align with men who are at higher risk for things like suicide,” says Camille Scheible, Director of The MAN VAN®. “We’ve been really excited to offer those services as well.”

The MAN VAN® team is made up of roughly 75 staff, including nurses, medical lab assistants and a few paramedics who run the tests, as well as over 76 volunteers, called hosts, who handle patient registration at clinics around the province. “We have several volunteers with us, if not all of them, who’ve been affected by prostate cancer in one way or another,” says Camille. “A lot of them have even come through the Prostate Cancer Centre because they had prostate cancer themselves.”

One story that has stayed with Camille over her 15 years with The MAN VAN® is that of Wilf, an Indigenous man who watched the vans visit his community year after year. For a long time, he was hesitant to get checked. Then, something changed — maybe it was the familiar faces on the van or the welcoming environment — and he decided to go for it.

That decision saved his life. 

Wilf was among the one in six Alberta men diagnosed with prostate cancer, but because it was caught early, he was able to start treatment right away. He later joined a clinical trial, was put on a life-changing drug, and just a couple of years ago, rang the celebratory bell at the Prostate Cancer Centre to mark being cancer-free. “He told us he never thought he’d get to see his grandchildren graduate,” says Camille. “We were able to give him that.”

The MAN VAN® team serves more than 10,000 men annually, from the heart of Calgary to Alberta’s most rural corners and Indigenous communities. In 2024, The MAN VAN® added a third vehicle to the fleet — bigger, better and built for privacy and comfort. “It looks like a massive driving billboard,” jokes Camille. “It’s definitely noticed by others driving down the highway. We get a lot of honks, but it’s been a welcome addition for sure.”

This organization represents the very best of what it means to serve Albertans: meeting people where they are and empowering them to take charge of their health, one blood test, one conversation and one life at a time.