University of Maryland Shore Regional Health observed National Breast Cancer Awareness month during the month of October, holding various outreach events for team members and community members, all aimed at increasing awareness of breast cancer and how it can be best detected, prevented and treated.
Team members of UM Shore Regional Health and the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center joined members of the community in honoring local breast cancer patients at the annual Pink Ribbon Hanging and Tree Lighting event held at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton.
Among those events was the annual Pink Ribbon Hanging and Tree Lighting organized by team members and volunteers of the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center – located at 10 Martin Court in Easton. Throughout the month of October, pink ribbons hung outside UM Shore Medical Center at Easton in honor of those breast cancer patients treated by the Clark Center over the past year.
During the tree lighting ceremony, breast surgeons, Roberta Lilly, MD, MPH, FACS, and Susan Forlifer, MD, spoke about the importance of access to breast health services throughout the five-county region, which has a high incidence of breast cancer.
“Since opening the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center in its new location in June, we have seen a notable increase in the number of patients seeking diagnostic testing of the breast and consultation for breast disease,” commented Dr. Lilly, who serves as the Center’s medical director. “During that time, there has been a 16 percent increase in mammograms, a 25 percent increase in needle biopsies, a 61 percent increase in total patients seen in the breast center and a 200 percent increase in new breast cancer diagnoses.”
Tiana Sampson Andrews, ultrasound technologist, and Mattie Fountain, community outreach worker, do the honors of lighting the Pink Ribbon Tree.
Lilly attributes much of the increase in breast health patients to improved access and promotion of early detection of breast cancer. She added, “We were fortunate to welcome Dr. Forlifer to our team in July, which has enabled us to offer greater access to the breast health services available at the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center. Additionally, through the efforts of our outreach staff to provide regional education about breast cancer detection and the importance of routine self-breast checks and mammography, it is my belief that women are being diagnosed and treated sooner, thus greatly improving their rates of survival.”
For more information about breast health and diagnostic services available throughout the region, contact the Clark Comprehensive Breast Center at 410-820-9400 or visit www.umshoreregional.org.
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
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