Think Pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness

  • 2012-10-23
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during which the National Breast Cancer Foundation aims to increase awareness about breast cancer and raise funds to continue research into the disease.

As well the campaign to encourage people to take part in screening programmes in Footscray, a number of fundraising events have been organised during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including the Pink Ribbon Day event at nearby Federation Square in central Melbourne, which took place on Friday, October 19.

For women in Footscray, it is easy to get checked for breast cancer with a screening clinic on the doorstep. The clinic on Paisley Street is open for women from the age of 40 to 70-years-old and over and offers a short check, which is scheduled every two years.

The BreastScreen programme is aimed particularly at women aged between 50 and 69 years old, as research shows regular screening is the best way of detecting breast cancer early in women of this age.

BreastScreen Victoria now operates eight screening and assessment centres, 35 screening centres, and 28 mobile screening sites across the state, carrying out more than 180,000 mammograms each year. The Footscray clinic has screened more than 10,000 women in the two years it has been open.

However, the participation rate for the programme shows only 48% of women in the area aged between 50 and 69 are taking part in the programme and now more are being urged to sign up. Poster printing would be a good way to promote campaigns such as breast cancer screening, while brochure printers can be used to offer more detailed information to women about the process.