FULTON, NY – Oswego County Opportunities’ Cancer Services Program Partnership wrapped up its Breast Cancer Awareness month activities by creating the first-ever human pink ribbon in Oswego County.
Approximately 100 people, dressed in pink, gathered in the parking lot of the Fulton Price Chopper to form the breast cancer awareness ribbon.
“It was great,” said Coordinator of OCO’s CSPP, Carolyn Handville. “We were very pleased with the turnout and excited to have accomplished our goals, to raise awareness of breast cancer, form the first human pink ribbon and more importantly, sign up those women that were eligible for their free mammograms.”
Throughout the month of October the CSPP was busy spreading the word about the free mammograms and other cancer screenings that the program offers to uninsured and under-insured Oswego County residents.
“We partnered with hair salons and provided them with aprons and free gifts for their clients, we visited several salons as well as Price Chopper stores in Fulton and Oswego to distribute information and register woman for their free cancer screenings. We even offered free massages on National Mammography Day at our imaging departments in Oswego County,” added Handville.
With all of the extra promotions in October, Handville said that she wondered, “Is the community sick of hearing about our program? Is there too much pink? But I realized that there isn’t enough pink when every 69 seconds somewhere in the world a woman dies of breast cancer. There isn’t enough pink when almost 500,000 women and men die of this disease every year. There isn’t enough pink when women everywhere are too afraid or ashamed to get screened or do not have the money to pay for it and are not sure where to turn for help.”
According to the American Cancer Society, 13 Oswego County residents are diagnosed with cancer weekly.
Handville stated, “How many of those people are uninsured? Do they know that the Cancer Services Program of Oswego County offers free cancer screenings to uninsured community members 40 years of age and older?”
According to Handville, OCO’s CSPP enrolled 45 new clients into the program and provided breast, cervical, and/or colorectal cancer screenings to more than 70 people last month alone.
“It was a very successful October and we would not have been able to do it if it wasn’t for the support we received from our community partners, Price Chopper, the 15 Oswego County hair salons who participated and our provider offices,” she said.
Although Breast Cancer Awareness Month has passed, the partnership continues providing services.
“We are currently booking dates for November and December and our partnership will be adding more screening days to accommodate our uninsured and under-insured community members throughout 2011,” Handville added.
For more information on the many cancer screenings available from the CSPP, or to make an appointment, contact Katie Batchelor at 342-0888 ext. 1454.
OCO is a private, non-profit agency that has been supporting communities throughout Oswego County since 1966 and touches the lives of more than 20,000 people annually.
It is a United Way of Greater Oswego County member agency.
For more information, visit www.oco.org
OCO’s Cancer Services Program Partnership consists of 21 provider offices throughout the county.
The partnership works diligently together providing quality breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings to our uninsured community members.
To learn more about the partnership, call 315-342-0888 ext 1455.
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