Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is offering free breast cancer screening
to Collin County’s underserved populations.
The program, made possible through a grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation, targets Hispanic, Asian and low income women, said Emily Gentry,
women’s services coordination for Baylor Plano.
Gentry said the program is targeting these populations because historically they
don’t seek out screenings for early detection of the disease.
“Many of these women don’t seek screenings for a varietry of reasons. They have
limited access to health care or no insurance,” Gentry said. “When we reach
these women, we’re finding that they have cancer at a more advanced stage. If we
can catch it early enough, we can increase their survival rate.”
The program called Breast Care for a Lifetime, takes health care educators into
churches, schools and community events to teach women about the risk factors and
lifestyle factors involved in breast cancer. It also teaches women how to
conduct montly self examinations. It also offers information on the various
tests available to check for breast cancer.
Bilingual educators such as Baylor Plano’s community outreach coordinator
Natzara McNally, are on hand to make sure women understand the information. To
qualify for the free digital mammogram, the woman must be at least 40 years old
and had no mammogram within the last year. They also must be free of lumps or
any other specific breast health concerns, Gentry said.
Often the fear of finding cancer or other problems prevent women from seeking
out early diagnostic measures. Gentry said should the mammogram indicate a
problem, the woman would be referred to Baylor’s financial counselors who will
provide them with resources for financial health. In some cases, the patient
might even qualify for Baylor’s own charity program.
So far, the program has educated more than 500 women on breast health and has
conducted 200 risk assessments. Six women have undergone the free digital
mammogram, all with clean results, Gentry said.
“We will continue to educate the women in the community to seek early detection
because we know it makes a difference in the survival rate,” she said.
The next education program is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan.12 at Saint Mark’s
Catholic Church,1100 West 15th St., in Plano. For information, call
469-814-6753.
Contact Lynn Proctor Windle at lwindle@acnpapers.com
