PHILADELPHIA – Pennsylvania Hospital will team up with the American Cancer Society, the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia and Univision 65 to host an annual breast cancer screening event on Friday, October 28, by providing free mammograms to uninsured and underinsured women in the Philadelphia community. The event, which will include free transportation to and from screening appointments as well as Spanish interpreters on-site, caps off Breast Cancer Awareness Month as part of a larger campaign called Amate a ti Misma or Love Yourself, which encourages women, particularly Latina women, to receive annual mammography screening for breast cancer.
“Regular screenings are the most reliable way to detect breast abnormalities and can improve the odds of successful treatment and recovery,” said Brian S. Englander, MD, chair of the department of Radiology at Pennsylvania Hospital. “Early detection is key, and today’s mammograms are quick and highly reliable. Women who are unable to access cancer screening tests are more likely to be diagnosed with cancers at later stages, when they are harder to treat. We want every woman with breast cancer to have the best chance at a cure through early detection.”
The all-day screening event will be held from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST on Friday, October 28 at Pennsylvania Hospital, located at 800 Spruce Street in Philadelphia.
Women can sign up for the event and schedule their screening by calling Emily Verderame, MPH, program manager and breast cancer screening navigator, at (215) 454-3217. Women who are 40 or older, who have not had a mammogram in the past year, and do not have health insurance are eligible for the program. Women with abnormal findings will be notified immediately and will be scheduled for additional follow up studies. If women are diagnosed, they will be enrolled in health insurance and treated at the Abramson Cancer Center.
“We are indebted to Pennsylvania Hospital for including us in this important initiative,” said Carlos Obrador, Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia. “Either because of cost or stigma, people in our community are still resistant to access many preventive care services, including mammograms. But when they identify and trust the two organizations offering them, that threshold breaks and together we move forward in fighting breast cancer.”
Event partners also include Ciocca Subaru and Little Words Project. Ciocca Subaru will be providing transportation to and from Pennsylvania Hospital. Additional details around transportation will be provided when women sign up for the event.
The event adds to the Abramson Cancer Center’s suite of programs and efforts to eliminate disparities in cancer detection, care, and outcomes among low-income and minority communities. The Penn Medicine Breast Health Initiative, for instance, aims to boost rates of early detection and treatment through patient navigation and breast health education, enrollment in health insurance, language interpreters at appointments, and public transportation tokens to assist in getting to and from appointments. Mobile mammography events have also brought screening to women at community locations near grocery stores, churches and schools.
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