ELMIRA – Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli has proclaimed October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Chemung County. Along with the Cancer Services Program of Chemung & Schuyler Counties and the Twin Tiers Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure,  Santulli is encouraging all women to talk to their health care providers about breast cancer screening and their personal risk for the disease.

Since the Breast Cancer Awareness Month program began in 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older and breast cancer deaths have declined.

This is exciting progress, but there are still women who do not take advantage of early detection at all and others who do not get screening mammograms and clinical breast exams at regular intervals. Women below poverty level are less likely than women at higher incomes to have had a mammogram within the past two years.

“If all women age 40 and older took advantage of early detection methods – mammography plus clinical breast exam – breast cancer death rates would drop much further, up to 30 percent,” says Margaret Johnson, RN with the Chemung County Health Department. “The key to mammography screening is that it be done routinely – once is not enough.”

Breast cancer is the second- leading cause of cancer related deaths among women in New York State. (Lung cancer is the leading cause of death.)  On average, more than 14,000 women in New York are newly diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and more than 2,700 women die annually from the disease.

“During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we urge women to consult with their health care providers to learn more about the disease, discuss their fears and concerns, and develop an appropriate plan for breast cancer screening,” said Linda Swarthout, RN and Community Health Educator with the Health Department. “When coupled with new treatment options, early stage diagnosis through mammography screening can significantly improve a woman’s chance of survival,” she added.

The Cancer Services Program of Chemung and Schuyler Counties, in cooperation with numerous other agencies, will be sponsoring events all month long to raise awareness.

• Thursday, October 6, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM - OktoberBreast 2011 – Breast Cancer Awareness Live Call-in Event on WETM-TV. The Program offers free Cancer screenings for the uninsured and those who are insured with a high deductible for Clinical Breast Exams, Mammograms, Pap and Pelvic exams as well as screenings for Colon Cancer. Click here for more information.
• Wednesday, October 19th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Women’s Health Screening Day at the Faith Temple Community Church. Click here for more information.
• The City of Elmira and Olthof’s Funeral Home will “pink-up” their fountains for the month of October.
• Flyers regarding the Cancer Service Program will be distributed at The Bonton, JC Penney’s, Sears, and Victoria’s Secret.
• Totem Taxi will also be distributing flyers in all their taxis including their Pink taxicab.

For more information about the Cancer Services Program please call 737-2028.  For additional information, please visit www.nbcam.org or http://www.komenadvocacy.org/ or call one of the following toll-free numbers: American Cancer Society, (800) 227-2345, National Cancer Institute (NCI), (800) 4-CANCER, Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, (800) 221-2141.

Click here for the subject proclamation.