BreastScreen NSW is encouraging Central Coast women aged 50 to 74 to make their health a priority and book a free life-saving mammogram this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Meredith Kay, Director of BreastScreen NSW, Central Coast said: “This Breast Cancer Awareness Month we want women on the Central Coast to make booking a breast screen a priority.
“While the pandemic has meant a lot of uncertainty this year, ensuring that health appointments are maintained remains just as important. Breast cancer won’t wait for COVID-19 to pass and having your regular mammogram can help with early detection which means less invasive treatment. “At BreastScreen NSW, the safety of our patients is our number one priority. Women can feel assured that we have implemented the necessary hygiene and physical distancing measures to ensure clinics and mobile screening units are COVID-19 safe, to protect patients, staff and the wider community.”
The measures include:
- Pre-screening questions around personal health and travel
- Limiting the number of people in the clinic/van
- Practising physical distancing and providing hand sanitiser in waiting rooms
- A minimal contact check-in process
- Wearing masks
- Additional cleaning of equipment and commonly used surfaces
Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of the Cancer Institute NSW, Professor David Currow said early detection is key to giving women the best chance of survival.
“In 2020 alone, it’s expected that more than 6,240 women in NSW will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 973 will die from the disease,” Professor Currow said.
“While these numbers are sobering, the good news is that if detected early, women have a 98 per cent chance of survival.
“Breast screens can detect cancer as small as a grain of rice. Our research shows that women who receive a diagnosis as a result of regular breast screening are less likely to need a mastectomy. It proves that early detection is key to unlocking less invasive treatment options for patients, making it easier for them to recover, and giving them an overall better quality of life.”
The BreastScreen NSW mobile screening unit is currently located at Lake Haven Shopping Centre until 4 December. BreastScreen NSW also has a permanent site at 155 The Entrance Road, Erina.
The service is free for women aged 50 to 74 and no referral is needed. However, bookings are encouraged to assist with physical distancing. To book a mammogram with BreastScreen NSW, call 13 20 50 or visit book.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au
The NSW Government, through the Cancer Institute NSW, is investing $62.1 million in breast cancer screening this financial year.