Thursday, October 28, 2010

LifeBridge Health Goes Pink

If you’ve been to Northwest Hospital after dark the last few weeks, you may have noticed a rosy glow cast over the main entrance. That’s because pink lights have been installed to mark October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It sounds simple, but adding pink lights to the front of our main building and lobby makes a statement and creates awareness about this common cancer. Awareness is the first step in finding a cure, and awareness and education lead to early detection – the best cure we have right now.

When breast cancer is caught early, it is over 98 percent curable. However, early detection is only possible when a woman is getting her regular screenings. If you are a woman age 40 or older, a recent study indicates that yearly mammograms are recommended. (Depending on your personal risk factors for breast cancer, your doctor may want you to be screened at a younger age or more frequently.) Ask your doctor or nurse how to do a breast self exam. Then use this knowledge to examine your breasts every month.

Northwest Hospital is home to the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center, where patients can get their mammograms in an inviting, spa-like atmosphere. We are the only mammogram provider in the area to offer our patients MammoPad® – a soft, warm pad that dramatically reduces the discomfort some women feel while getting a mammogram.

Meanwhile, Sinai Hospital's Employee Activities Committee is also showing its support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by holding a Think Pink Departmental Decorating Contest. If you are a Sinai employee, help decorate your office or unit with PINK in mind. All employees are encouraged to wear a pink ribbon, pink t-shirt or breast cancer awareness t-shirt on Friday.

If you’d like to schedule a mammogram with us, call the Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Care Center at 410-601-WELL (9355).

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