Bring Light to the Fight for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Early detection is the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer. OSF HealthCare wants to make sure every woman 40 and older or who is at high-risk for breast cancer is getting a regular mammogram. Mary Mowen, Medical Imaging Director at OSF HealthCare Holy Family, explains a new grant funded program available to assist women in removing barriers to provide them with the breast health they need:

“We are working with women of minority and low income patients. It is a digital community health worker and we have some ways to help educate and remove barriers for our patients to get their annual mammogram. They are going to begin this work within the next month or so. We are excited to see what that can bring to our community. We did do a community health needs assessment and in Warren County, a single female head of household is about 12% of our population. We hope this new program can help them remove barriers to their breast health,” Mowen states.

OSF HealthCare Holy Family Medical Center offers walk-in mammograms on Wednesdays from 1 to 4 pm. Scheduling can also be done online at http://osfhealthcare.org/mammograms.

OSF HealthCare in Galesburg, Monmouth and Kewanee have lit up their hospitals with pink spotlights to shine a light on the community’s commitment to fighting breast cancer.

 “Our goal is to provide excellent, state-of-the-art mammography to our patients. 3D mammograms continue to detect small, early breast cancers that might not be apparent on 2D mammograms. Early detection decreases breast cancer mortality,” according to Mary Mowen, director of Radiology for OSF St. Mary Medical Center and OSF Holy Family Medical Center.

The American College of Radiology recommends annual screening mammograms beginning at age 40 for women of average risk. Higher-risk women should start regular, yearly screening diagnostic mammograms earlier and may benefit from supplemental screening types such as breast ultrasound.

Annual mammograms are important but doing regular self-breast exams are also critical for early detection of breast cancer, the second-leading cause of death for women in the U.S. Mowen hopes the pink lights serve as a reminder for everyone to be mindful of their breast health. “According to the American Cancer Society, women of all ages should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a health care provider right away,” Mowen explained.

OSF patients have convenient scheduling options like walk-ins and weekend appointments. And now, patients can self-schedule their screening mammogram online at their convenience. To learn more, go to www.osfhealthcare.org/mammogram.