Celebrate Women’s Health Week With A Free Cancer Screening!

Date of Release: May 11, 2012                          For Further Information Please Call:
                                                                                                Emily Young, Public Health Educator
                                                                                                435-3280
Celebrate Women’s Health Week With A Free Cancer Screening!
The week of May 13th– 19th is National Women’s Health Week. National Women’s Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. This is a week for women to make their health a top priority in their life. The theme for 2012’s Women’s Health Week is “It’s your time.” Too often in their busy lives, women place their health and
well-being as secondary, putting the needs of others before their own.
The Onondaga County Cancer Services Program Partnership would like to remind uninsured women between the ages of 40 and 64 that free breast exams, mammograms, and Pap tests are available by calling 435-3653. For uninsured women ages 50 to 64, an at-home colorectal cancer screening kit is also available. Routine screenings are an important step in lowering a woman’s risk of developing breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer in her lifetime and early detection has proven to save lives. As a community, it is our responsibility to support women and help them take steps towards a healthier life.
Women’s Health Week is an optimal time to remember that detection of breast and cervical cancers require routine screenings as women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime and each year approximately 12,000 women in the U.S. develop cervical cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and New York State. A woman’s chances of developing breast, cervical, or colorectal cancer can be increased by factors such as age, a personal or family history of these cancers, and a lack of routine screening.
Studies show that the uninsured are less likely to seek preventative medical care. During Women’s Health Week, the Onondaga County Cancer Services Program Partnership would like to encourage uninsured women of Onondaga County to put their health first and call 435-3653 to schedule their free breast exam, mammogram, Pap test, and colorectal cancer screening. Call today!