Parkland offers no-cost screening mammograms, health education events
Each year Parkland Health & Hospital System provides breast health services for 30,000 and diagnoses and treats 400 patients with breast cancer – volumes that greatly exceed most other hospitals. Parkland treats 20 percent of all breast cancer cases in Dallas County and that number is expected to rise as the Health Care Advisory Board predicts a 15 percent increase in breast cancer cases in Dallas County over the next five years.
The breast cancer patients cared for at Parkland are racially and ethnically diverse, often younger and diagnosed at later stages in the disease than national and regional norms.
“Early diagnosis is a key to survival,” said W. Phil Evans, MD, division chief of breast imaging at Parkland and UT Southwestern and director of the UT Southwestern Center for Breast Care. “We want to ensure that women in Dallas County know their risk factors, recognize early warning signs of the disease and have the opportunity to be screened to find cancer early.”
With the advances in screening and treatment, the death rate from breast cancer has decreased by 40 percent since 1990. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. About 20 percent of all new cases in the U.S. are found in women younger than 50 years of age. Most women should begin yearly screening with mammography at age 40.
During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Parkland is offering events throughout Dallas County to promote breast health and breast cancer awareness. Events will present breast health education (ages 16 and up) and provide no-cost mammogram screenings (ages 35 and up) to uninsured and underinsured women. All sessions are from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. To register and ensure your eligibility for no-cost mammograms, please call the contact person for the event you wish to attend, below:
October 6
Singing Hills Baptist Church
6550 University Hill Blvd.
Dallas 75241
Contact: Vickie Henry 214-266-4398
October 13
College Park Baptist Church
6360 J. J. Lemmon Road
Dallas 75241
Contact: Jamilya Harris-White 214-266-1640
October 20
Binational Health Fair
Mountain View College
4849 W. Illinois Ave.
Dallas 75211
Contact: Lisa Padilla 214-266-0514
October 26
Buckner Wynnwood-Family Hope Center
2006 Didsbury Circle
Dallas 75224
Contact: Monica Moran: 214-266-3059
October 27 – Come Together for the Cure
Light of the World Church of Christ
7408 S. Hampton Road
Dallas 75232
Contact: Lisa Padilla 214-266-0514
Come Together for the Cure Symposium. Join breast cancer experts, advocates and survivors at a special symposium featuring workshops that will provide answers to your questions. Hosted by Parkland and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the event on Saturday, Oct. 27 will feature speakers discussing ways to prevent other breast and other types of cancer, like gastrointestinal and lung cancer. Mammograms will be provided for those registering in advance.
October 31, 2018
Moorland Family YMCA
907 E. Ledbetter Drive
Dallas 75216
Contact: Monica Moran 214-266-3059
To learn more about services at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com
