October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Best Protection Is Early Detection
​Jeanine English MPH, Project Heal Health Educator and Contributor

​Dear Mindset Journal, 
The after effects of the pandemic has highlighted the importance of one’s physical and mental health. In addition, it’s brought to the attention of many the seriousness of socioeconomic disparities that contribute to the lack of equity and equality in healthcare. As in many aspects in life when you ignore a small problem it has the potential to snowball into larger problem. That is why you do not wait until the night before a final to study, ignore the unusual knocking noise coming from your car when you start it, or put off yearly exams when it concerns your health.
 
As the saying goes, The Best Protection is Early Detection. According to US Breast Cancer Statistics it is estimated that 281, 550 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. It is also estimated that 2, 650 men will be diagnosed this year as well. Due to factors beyond our control there was a sharp decline in mammograms. The reasons behind this are; the prioritizing of healthcare during the beginning of the pandemic to address emergency and urgent situations, affordability, and mental fatigue in which people were overwhelmed and not keeping up with preventative care. Unfortunately, Breast Cancer did not get fatigued nor did not take the year off.

Thankfully in the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo we have a program to assist Women and Men in receiving a mammogram. The organization is called Every Woman Counts and it provides cancer screening tests funded by a federally funded nationwide program called National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This organization will help those uninsured, underinsured, or undocumented immigrants. They will help you through the process of being screened and if you receive a breast cancer diagnosis they will help with the financial cost.  
Since the best protection against fighting Breast Cancer is Early Detection please keep up with your monthly Breast Exams, Schedule your yearly exams with your physician, and lastly start receiving yearly mammograms once you have reached the age of 40 or have a genetic/familial link with breast cancer.

Encourage One Another, 
Jeanine English MPH, Project Heal Health Educator and Contributor
Until next check-in "Journal" end of entry...

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Resources:

Ever Woman Counts Health Educator Brianna Dunn MPBreast Cancer statistics https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
​
​Every Woman Counts Screening PDF

---