Archive for category: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach at Health Partnership Clinic

Did you know that breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers?

It is according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Awareness surrounding breast cancer is incredibly important as early detection, often through screening, can catch the disease when it is most treatable.

That’s the reason we partner with Diagnostic Imaging Centers to have onsite mammography for our patients and staff. Almost every month you will see the large coach in our Olathe parking lot. Diana Flores, Women’s Health Coordinator, and our women’s health provider Eva Clark, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC, and Tiffany Swanson, DO, OBGYN, as well as other providers schedule and/or refer patients to these lifesaving screening exams either on the mobile coach or at nearby hospitals, such as AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In October, we recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month by promoting our mammography services as well as the importance of education. The mammography coach will be on the Olathe campus on Wednesday, Oct. 8. You and your friends, family and neighbors are welcome to call 913-276-7098 to schedule a mammogram. Staff can also enroll eligible women in Kansas’ Early Detection Works for those who are low income and uninsured.

At Health Partnership, we encourage our staff to wear pink all month to show their spirit. In addition, staff and patients are invited to complete a Crossword Puzzle contest. A prize will be awarded to an employee and patient. Health information and giveaways will also be available at each of our clinic sites.

As a FQHC, we are always looking at prevention.

Here’s how you can lower your risk for breast cancer:

• Keep a healthy weight and exercise regularly.
• Choose not to drink alcohol, or drink alcohol in moderation.
• Don’t smoke.
• Breastfeed your children, if possible.

For more information about breast cancer screening, click https://www.cdc.gov/breast-cancer/screening/index.html.

I always make time for my mammogram and remind my sister and girlfriends. I hope you do too! Remember early detection saves lives!

By Catherine Rice, Vice President of Marketing/Outreach

Nearly all of us have known someone with breast cancer and had our lives affected by that diagnosis. Breast cancer is something that affects all women and some men. Knowing your risk and getting the right screening test is important and can save your life.

We know that mammography is the most effective tool used today to find breast cancer in most women. In partnership with Diagnostic Imaging Centers, P.A., we provide monthly onsite mammograms. We are kicking off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (usually celebrated in October) early by hosting a mammogram event on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Participants will receive a gift bag and refreshments. In addition, the mobile coach will be back at our Olathe clinic location on Monday, Oct. 25. Mammograms are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Download the PDF about this event

Screening mammograms will be available to area women who are 50 and older, low income and uninsured. Clinic staff will enroll eligible women in Kansas’ Early Detection Works, and insurance will be billed, if insured. Thanks to FNBO, who donated funds for mammograms and awareness building initiatives, there is no cost to patients.

To schedule a mobile mammogram appointment, call 913-648-2266.

If you are unsure if you need a mammogram, please talk to your health care provider about your risk level and the appropriate testing for you. To schedule an appointment to see a provider at HPC, call 913-648-2266.

By Elizabeth Lewis, WHNP-BC, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

Nearly all of us have known someone with breast cancer, and had our lives affected by that diagnosis. Breast cancer is something that affects all women and some men. Knowing your risk and getting the right screening test is important.

We know that mammography is the most effective tool used today to find breast cancer in most women. There is some disagreement from organizations on when that screening should start (Below you will find recommendations for women of average risk).

American Cancer Society

Informed decision-making with a health care provider from age 40-44
Every year starting at age 45-54
Every 2 years (or every year if a woman chooses to do so) starting at age 55, for as long as a woman is in good health

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Every year starting at age 40, for as long as a woman is in good health

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Informed decision-making with a health care provider from age 40-49
Every 2 years ages 50-74

HPC Can Help

At HPC, we have help paying for screening mammograms for women age 40-64 years old. Call 1-877-277-1368 to see if you are eligible or look online at https://www.khconline.org/files/PTN/EDW.pdf.

The above recommendations are for average risk women. Your risk level is often just as important as knowing when to start screenings. The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 12.4 percent for women of average risk, 15-20 percent for women of moderate risk and greater than 20 percent for women of high risk.

The majority of breast and ovarian cancers are sporadic; however, 6 percent of breast cancers and 15 percent of ovarian cancers are caused by harmful mutations in the BRCA genes. We suggest genetic counseling in patients with no personal history of breast cancer if any of the following are true:

• A pathogenic variant in BRCA1or BRCA2 in a biological relative, usually a first- or second-degree relative
• At least two individuals with breast cancer primaries on the same side of the family with at least one diagnosed at 50 years of age or less
• A first- or second-degree relative with any of the following: breast cancer at 45 years or younger, ovarian cancer, male breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, metastatic prostate cancer or 2 or more breast cancer primaries in a single individual or on the same side of the family with at least one diagnosed at 50 years of age or younger
• Family history of three or more cancers linked to hereditary cancer syndromes

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about your risk level and the appropriate testing for you. To schedule an appointment to see a provider at HPC, call 913-648-2266.