Free mammogram screening for women through pilot project
AVON Community Help Fund yesterday, at a press conference, announced a programme of activities for the annual breast cancer awareness.
The Chairperson, Ms. Mignon Bowen, speaking at the Camp Street Office, recalled that, over the years, a number of new initiatives have been implemented to increase the awareness of breast cancer among women. She mentioned the ‘pink ribbon’ in 2008 and the ‘pink hand band’ in 2009 and said the response to messages received from men, who desired to give public support has been encouraging as they continue to contribute meaningfully to this worthy cause.
Bowen said the focus has been also on teaching women how to do the breast self-examination as a method of early detection.
“We have acquired equipment, such as the training models, DVDs and pictorial pamphlets on breast self-examination so as to equip women with the correct information,” she reported.
Bowen said this year the activities will be extended to community-based organisations and community leaders are being encouraged to mobilise the women in their neighbourhoods and request free services on breast cancer awareness.
A grant of some $500,000 has been handed over to the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), in a partnership that will provide free clinical screening and mammograms to high risk, uninsured and low-income women.
The GRPA will provide medical services that will provide free clinical screening for the first 100 women and, based on the results of this examination, make recommendations for the patients to benefit from free mammograms.
This intervention is a pilot project which has a duration of three months. It is anticipated that the findings and recommendations from the final report will provide much needed information on the way forward with similar projects.
The ‘Support for the early detection of breast cancer’ will provide free clinical screening for the first 100 women during October 2011 and free mammograms screening for patients who will be referred for mammograms at a reputable hospital.
“The price for a mammogram is very costly and we hope that women without health insurance or low-income women will benefit from this initiative,” she stated.

PINK RIBBON
Bowen said, throughout the month everyone is being reminded to wear a pink ribbon each day as a symbol of their commitment to raising the awareness of breast cancer and giving support to patients diagnosed with the disease.
“We must join together to fight this disease and we can start by wearing a pink ribbon and organisations can also participate by observing ‘Wear pink Day’ on Thursday, October 20.
She emphasised that works will be continued to advocate  public policies that will provide women access to free mammograms and breast cancer treatment, regardless of income, noting also that the committee will also be widening its public outreach programme to raise awareness of this disease among women in Guyana  and promote the use of the breast self-examination as a method for early detection.
The Fifth annual fitness walk will take place on Saturday, October 22 from 06:00 hrs at Parade Ground (Independence Park)  Middle Street, Georgetown under the theme ‘In it, to end it’.
She noted that the Breast Cancer Awareness Committee will continue with the exhibition on breast care at the National Library to provide information to secondary school students who are doing research on breast cancer, detection methods, breast cancer treatments and surviving breast cancer.
“Today, as we launch our programme of activities, we believe that women who are provided with the correct information will be better able to make sensible choices about living healthy lifestyles, thus take the responsibility of the risk factors within their control that can contribute to breast cancer,” Bowen stated.
She added that, this year, the committee will be linking ‘high risk’ and medically underserved women to another early detection programme of mammogram screening.
“During our activities of 2010, the committee had pledged to provide free mammograms to deserving patients. This is a very costly programme that must be carefully managed to meet the objectives of providing access to treatment and care for the uninsured and low-income women,” Bowen said.
She said Avon Community Help Fund is pleased to announce that its promises will be fulfilled, since it has found it fit to partner with another organisation to honour this commitment of  free mammograms to deserving women.