Swope Health supports Breast Cancer Awareness month

October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as designated by the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Throughout the month, Swope Health and other organizations campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer.

At Swope Health, we encourage women to get breast screening examinations to take better care of their own health.

Swope Health Central will offer walk-in mammograms for women age 50 and older from 9 a.m. to noon every Tuesday and Thursday in October. No appointment is necessary, and you don’t need a provider’s order. The fee is $25. 

Breast screenings can be lifesaving. Screenings offer a chance at early detection of breast disease or cancer, and earlier detection means better chances of treatment and recovery.

As in the national campaign, Swope Health will invite women to share personal stories of their breast cancer experiences with a goal of honoring those affected by breast cancer. We will invite you to take a selfie, fill out a card with your information or leave your contact information for us to follow up. With your permission, we’ll share your stories.

Mammograms can be lifesaving.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women age 50 and older receive a mammogram screening for breast cancer every two years. Swope Health encourages this, too.

The screening is basically an X-ray of the breast, usually involving two or more images. These images make it possible to identify tumors that can’t be detected by touch.

Early detection reduces the risk of dying from the disease by 25 percent or more, according to BreastCancer.org. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note the smaller a tumor is the more likely it is to be curable. So, having regular mammograms lower the risk of dying from breast cancer.

Black and Hispanic women have higher mortality rates of breast cancer than all other races. Women in lower socio-economic levels have disproportionately higher death rates than those in higher income levels.

Resources:

• Breast Cancer Awareness (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Fact Sheet: African-American Women & Breast Cancer (Breast Cancer Prevention Partners)
• Race and Ethnicity (Susan G. Komen Foundation)
• Disparities in Breast Cancer: African-American Women (American Cancer Society)

Swope Health offers mammogram screenings to any woman age 50 or older who hasn’t had a screening in two years, without healthcare insurance. You must be a Swope Health patient. This service is provided under grants from The Research Foundation and Komen Kansas + Western Missouri, an affiliate of Susan G. Komen Foundation. Learn more.