Medical Staff Gather To Promote Breast Cancer Awareness
Representatives in the photo include staff from KCH Cancer Care Center, Lutheran Kosciusko EMS, KCH Emergency Care Center and KCH Women’s Imaging Center. Also pictured are KCH Administration CEO Kirk Ray, CNO Kim Finch and CFO Chuck Josey.
WARSAW — Staff from KCH Cancer Care Center, Lutheran Kosciusko EMS, KCH Emergency Care Center and KCH Women’s Imaging Center all gathered today in front of the KCH Cancer Care Center to promote early breast cancer detection and prevention.
October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and to help people know about it, Lutheran EMS will be wearing pink shirts every day of the month. The Warsaw Fire Department will be joining Lutheran EMS this year in wearing the shirts.
“What’s important is prevention,” said KCH CEO Kirk Ray. “We get complacent sometimes, and we want to raise awareness, so that women will continue to make sure they are getting checked.”
Women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.
Current evidence supporting mammograms is even stronger than in the past. In particular, recent evidence has confirmed that mammograms offer substantial benefit for women in their 40s. Women can feel confident about the benefits associated with regular mammograms for finding cancer early.
Women in their 20’s and 30’s should have a clinical breast exam as part of a periodic health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year.
CBE is done along with mammograms and offers a chance for women and their doctor or nurse to discuss changes in their breasts, early detection testing and factors in the woman’s history that might make her more likely to have breast cancer.
Lutheran EMS started wearing the pink shirts in October three years ago, and just last year, one of the employees of Lutheran EMS was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tony Doyle, the operations manager is credited with starting the tradition, and it has only grown since.
