(Joplin, MO) – More than 30 local women received free mammograms during a key breast cancer awareness event held inside the Freeman Health System Wes and Jan Houser Women’s Pavilion on Saturday, October 12.
As a bonus, each woman left the building holding a colorful mum, courtesy of Joplin Greenhouse & The Coffee Shop.
“Mammograms save lives,” said Freeman Mammography Technologist Stephanie Thompson.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, she said, second only to cardiovascular disease. Among women, breast cancer is the most common type. In fact, one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.
“That number is staggering,” Thompson said with a shake of her head. “I’ve had at least three women that I know personally that have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Everybody in their life has been touched by breast cancer one way or another.”
Screening mammograms help detect breast cancer at early stages, where survival rates are much higher.
“Breast cancer is small early on – it hasn’t had a chance yet to spread from the breast,” Thompson said. “That’s why it’s so important for women to receive their mammograms.”
Thankfully for area women in need of a mammogram, Freeman Health System is the first and only in the region to offer GE Healthcare’s Senographe Pristina™ Dueta, an advanced 3D mammography system. It has been proven that 3D mammogram images, due to their enhanced detail, can detect small breast cancers easier and earlier than traditional 2D images.
Sadly, far too many women in the Joplin region, including the uninsured and underinsured, forgo a possible life-saving mammogram due to limited financial resources. That’s where the Helping Friends Mammogram Fund comes into play. This special fund has minimized that scenario and filled in the monetary gap by providing free mammograms, diagnostic screenings and comprehensive breast care services. Freeman’s Development Office works with the community to keep the fund in force. More than 2,000 women have had mammograms and screenings with the assistance of the fund since it began in 2000.
For more information about Pristina or the Helping Friends Mammogram Fund, or to schedule a mammogram, please call 417.347.7777.
About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center — the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services — as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2020, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2020. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 80 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Reference:
Kevin McClintock, Media Relations Coordinator
Freeman Health System
417.434.3458
KSMcclintock@freemanhealth.com
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