Let's Stay Abreast Program Paper

{text:bookmark-start} Mammograms {text:bookmark-end} Mammograms are important to have because it not only affects women over 40, but it affects young and men also. A mammogram (also called a mammography exam) is a safe, low-dose x-ray of the breast. A high-quality mammogram is the most effective tool for detecting breast cancer early. Early detection of breast cancer may allow more treatment options. It could even mean saving your breast or your life. Mammograms are probably the most important tool doctors have to help them diagnose, evaluate, and follow women who've had breast cancer. Mammograms don't prevent breast cancer, but they can save lives by finding breast cancer as early as possible. There are four important things to know

This poster urges the importance of getting examined early so the risk of breast cancer greatly diminishes.

There are several confusing topics for women when it comes to their breast health such as how often they should be screened with a mammogram, what age to start getting their mammograms, or how often they should have a mammogram. One of the newer discussions that has emerged recently is if women should be told that they have dense breast tissue. Several states have even moved a step further and are mandating that women be told this information. I believe that the states should go beyond this when passing the law and require insurance companies to pay for supplemental testing of these women who fall into this category and have additional risk factors.

While having regular mammograms every two years does not guarantee you will not get cancer, it may however detect the disease early. Cancer screening makes sense; identify and treat cancer before you know it’s there. The theory behind this is to catch cancer in the initial stages and it will be more curable. This in turn, reduces deaths due to the disease.

Predominantly poor minority residents have always occupied East Albany. Approximately 10,500 residents live in the community with ninety-one percent being African Americans. For African Americans living in East Albany community, the poverty rate is 48 percent. Most households are single-parent homes living in poverty with little to no education. With a high poverty rate, little opportunity for employment and low levels of educational attainment, teen pregnancy is considered an epidemic in this community. The east side of the city houses the lowest performing schools with the least funds and resources being employed but are held to the same standards of performance as the other schools in the

The statistics regarding the Bronx and Queens depicts a substantial difference between the two boroughs. The population in Queens is nearly a million more compared to the Bronx. However, the major cause of death for both happens to be Heart Disease as it takes the lives of thousands in the districts. The racial and ethnic composition is vaguely alike besides the percentage of Hispanic or Latino, Asian, and Black or African American. The Bronx has practically double the percentage of Hispanics and African Americans, yet, Queens has 22.3% more Asians than those in the Bronx. Nevertheless, the boroughs happen to be very diverse despite the differences. There is still a wide gap between the level of median household income as Queens is much more

In figure 4, it depicts the educational attainments for those over 25 and living in the 10472 zip code. Most people have an educational attainment of a high school graduate level or below, which could be an important for the high levels of poverty in the area. The data between the congressional district 15 and zip code 10472 are almost similar but again the area has a low rate. The Bronx borough has a 18.3% population with a Bachelor's degree or higher, while there is only 11.7% for zip code 10472. It is a relatively small amount considering the large amount of young people living there, reported in figure

The North Carolina-Based Breast Cancer Screening Program (NC-BCSP) was questioning if they could increase African-American women’s access to breast cancer screening, would this help women determine their risk factors and seek further screening process? The goal was to decrease the obstructions of the women in North Carolina to everyday health care, but at the same time increase women’s access to breast cancer screening, while making connections that could help women across the state. The evaluated outcomes was to implement an education process so that there was a tracking system that would determine if the participants were at the human health center and clinic for their initial visit or a repeat visitor.

Every Woman Matters is a federally-funded program that works on early screening for breast and cervical cancer. Despite the barriers number of screening is significant increases in several of the practices. More strategies need to add to make the program for effective and reach under served and uninsured women.

In 2010, 14,045 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed among females in Florida and 2,824 females died from it ("Florida Department of Health," n.d.). The incidence and mortality rates were higher among females 65 years of age and older than among females less than 65 years of age. Of all breast cancer cases diagnosed in Florida during 2010, 35.2% were diagnosed at an advanced stage. Florida takes a comprehensive approach in implementing cancer control efforts to reduce disparities, morbidity, and mortality associated with this disease ("Florida Department of Health," n.d.). The Florida Cancer Plan includes 4 goals of addressing the state’s cancer control structure; cancer prevention; diagnosis, treatment and access to cancer care; and cancer

Brooklyn, NY which is considered Kings County population is 2,621,793, of that population 52.6% are females and 47.4% are males. In regard of races and ethnicity in the Kings County population Only White is 49.5%, Black or African American is 35.4%, American Indian and Alaska Native is 1.0%, Asian is 11.7%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders are 0.1%, Hispanic or Latino are 19.6% and two or more races are 2.3%. 12% (314,615.16) of the population is 65 years and older, 23.3% is under 18 years old and 7.4% (183,525.51) is under the age of 5. There are 10.8% (269,060) individuals in Kings County with any type of disability.

In today’s society, women are not getting their mammograms done because they feel they are not necessary or because they are afraid of the results of the mammograms. Since women do not get their mammograms done, they are exposed to breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, women who get mammograms, reduce about “15% to 20% in mortality from breast cancer” (“National Cancer Institute” 1). If women would increase the rate of getting mammograms, there will be less deaths in women.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the US. About 40,000 women die from breast cancer each year, making it “the second leading cause of cancer death among women” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) requires insurers to “provide coverage for and shall not impose any cost sharing requirements for” preventive services which are “in the current recommendation of the United States Preventive Services Task Force” (USPSTF). Nevertheless, the ACA makes an exception for breast cancer screening by stating that the USPSTF’s recommendation regarding mammogram “shall be considered the most current other than those issued in or around November 2009”. By using this legislative tool, the federal government mandates health insurers to provide coverage for annual or biennial mammograms in women aged 40 and older (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2013).

Since the majority of individuals living in Bushwick and Williamsburg are of foreign descent, it is only feasible to hypothesize that language barriers pose as a major obstacle for receiving quality health care. Many of the residents may not know how to read and understand English, therefore, leading to compromised delivery of care. Another justification for the residents of Community Board 1 and 4 to not obtain quality care is because of economic conditions. Individuals living in Bushwick are known to have a lower median household income when compared to Brooklyn as a whole: the difference being $9,000

Breast cancer is the second leading cancer killer among women, after lung cancer (Breast Cancer , 2014). Cancer is a word that puts fear in many people, especially if they have family members who have either died or survived the disease. No one wants to hear that he or she has been diagnosed with any disease, especially cancer. Many women do not take breast cancer serious until they are diagnosed. Sadly, once diagnosed with this epidemic, a person’s life is altered forever. Breast cancer does not discriminate and can happen to anyone at any age. To prevent this disease, one must take the necessary precautions to lower the risk factors. In fact, there are several local and national events to remind people of breast cancer’s existence. Many