Griffin, GA – October 20, 2010 – Spalding Regional Medical Center has developed a novel approach to help women focus on their breast health this October. The hospital asks women to “Picture Yourself Healthy,” encouraging each to take the one picture that could save her life – a mammogram.
Picture Yourself Healthy was created by Spalding Regional and its sister hospitals as part of a national campaign to promote early detection and testing that could save the lives of the approximately 256,000 people who are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
The hospital will also sponsor a special evening to Picture Yourself Healthy, October 28th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00. Women are encouraged to come and mingle with others and receive information on a variety of women’s health issues, including breast cancers and the resources available to detect and fight it. The evening includes a special seminar on Breast Health by Arturo Marchand, MD, Mammograpy and Body Imaging Subspecialist. This seminar will be held at both 5:00 and 6:15 p.m. in classrooms A & B. Spalding Regional will also be offering mammograms during this evening, between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., normal screening mammogram fees will apply. You can schedule an appointment by calling 770.229.6931.
“Picture Yourself Healthy is about more than just remembering to get a mammogram,” explains Kim Stephens, Community Educator at Spalding Regional. “It’s about women keeping themselves in the picture and making their health just as much of a priority as are their families and careers.”
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for more than one in four cancers diagnosed among women in the United States, making it the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. While Caucasian women have a higher incidence of breast cancer after age 40, African American women are more likely to develop breast cancer at earlier ages and have a higher risk of dying from breast cancer at all ages. There is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer, which makes earlier detection through regular mammograms very important.
Spalding Regional also offers year-round women’s health services, such as digital mammography, and seminars and classes covering issues from maternity to menopause, obstetrics, diabetes and heart healthy topics.
Spalding Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet Healthcare, is a 160-bed acute care hospital located at 601 South Eighth Street in Griffin, Ga. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Spalding, Butts, Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Lamar and Pike counties for more than 100 years. Spalding Regional provides a number of services, including specialties in orthopedics, women’s services, cardiac care, Primary Stroke Center, oncology services, physical, occupational and speech therapy and sleep medicine. Spalding Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.