REACH offers gift certificates for mammograms

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North Adams - REACH for Breast Health is offering a $10 gift certificate to a local supermarket to every woman who completes breast screening who has never had a mammogram, or who has not had one in over two years. Breast screening is recommended every year for all women over 40 and for younger women at high risk. REACH provides free clinical breast exams, and will assist all women without health insurance in obtaining payment for a mammogram. In situations where further procedures are recommended following the mammogram REACH will also provide support in helping women. Annual screening is essential in detecting breast cancer early when it is usually successfully treated. Both a breast exam by a qualified doctor or nurse, and a mammogram are important. Some breast lumps are found only on a mammogram, but not detected in a breast exam. Other breast lumps are felt in a breast exam or by the woman herself, but cannot be seen on a mammogram. By doing both, women have a higher chance of having a potential problem detected. In the Northern Berkshire Area, it is estimated that only about 60% of the women who should get annual screening are actually getting the screening. Ninety percent of all breast cancer occurs in women who have no family history of the disease. However, women who have had it in their families are at higher risk, and should start their annual screening at an earlier age. A woman would be considered "high risk" if her mother, grandmother (on either side), or daughter had breast cancer or ovarian cancer before menopause. These women should begin screening when they are ten years younger than the family member was when diagnosed with breast cancer. "High risk" also includes women who have had pre-cancerous conditions identified in a breast biopsy, or have actually had breast cancer. REACH for Breast Health is a program of the REACH Community Health Foundation and Northern Berkshire Healthcare, and is located at North Adams Regional Hospital. This incentive is made available through a grant from the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund. The program is also supported by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Massachusetts Affiliate, the Eileen Barrett Foundation, and private donations. The effort to increase breast screenings through this program is a joint effort of REACH for Breast Health, the Mammography Department of North Adams Regional Hospital, and local physicians. For more information on how to receive the gift certificate, please call REACH for Breast Health at 664-5170 or 664-5404.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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