Women encouraged to get mammograms

Sussex County has highest incidence of incurable diagnoses of breast cancer in state Newton — “Mammograms Save Lives” is a simple idea which will be proclaimed loudly throughout Sussex County in the next few months, thanks to a cooperative effort by an unlikely consortium of agencies, corporations and local businesses. The reason: Sussex County has the highest incidence of incurable diagnoses of breast cancer in the state. In fact, while the mortality rate for breast cancer in the state of New Jersey dropped 8.9 percent from 1997 to 2005, mortality in Sussex County rose 9.5 percent during the same period. Although the reasons for this disparity can be complicated, one fact is crystal clear to the Sussex County Breast Health Task Force. Early diagnosis is the key to a cure, and urging women to get a mammogram can be the difference between life and death. A joint effort by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey Affiliate and Project Self-Sufficiency has pulled together the resources of the New Jersey Herald, Intercar Mercedes Benz, Sussex Honda, the Sussex County Breast Health Task Force, and the Sussex County Cancer Coalition. Over the coming months, the “Mammograms Save Lives” message will be proclaimed from billboards, placed on flyers, promoted at speaking engagements and offered at other educational venues throughout the county. Campaign runs counter to task force guidelines The “Mammograms Save Lives” campaign runs counter to the guidelines issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force in November 2009, which suggested that women ages 50-74 receive a mammogram every two years, rather than annually as previously recommended, and recommended against encouraging women to perform monthly self-exams. These new guidelines were not supported by physicians, advocacy groups, the American Cancer Society or the general public. According to local breast surgeon Dr. Michelle O’Shea, “As a member of the county task force and a breast surgeon, I was shocked when I heard the new guidelines. As a breast surgeon, I see the benefits of a screening mammogram, which finds cancer before it can be felt. I also see that approximately one-third of breast cancer occurs in women under the age of 50, and the majority of breast cancer in women under the age of 40 is found during a breast self-exam.” Project Self-Sufficiency and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey Affiliate have spearheaded the development of the Sussex County Breast Health Task Force, a consortium of 50 area representatives from the medical and social service communities whose goal is to reverse the statistics of late diagnosis and higher mortality in the Sussex County area, by increasing the number of women receiving mammograms. In fact, thanks to the availability of a mobile mammography van, Project Self-Sufficiency now offers the opportunity for a free screening mammogram to uninsured or under-insured women over the age of 40 four times a year at its Newton office. To find out more about the Breast Health Awareness program at Project Self-Sufficiency, to receive a free mammogram, or to schedule a visit from a Breast Health Educator for a school, business or organization, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500.