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.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Use of Slurs Sparks Community Conversation in Pittsfield
The discussion will be held Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Conte Community School in partnership with the public schools, Westside Legends and the Berkshire chapter of the NAACP.
On Thursday, interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said the district recognizes the seriousness of concerns from students, families, and staff members in a statement to the school community.
"As interim Superintendent, I have a broad view across our school system and am hearing experiences and concerns from many corners of our community. From my 26 years in education, I know these challenges are not unique to our district. That said, this is our opportunity to do this work within our own schools and strengthen our public education system and culture," she wrote over Parent Square, which was posted on social media and the district website.
"I want to be clear that there is no place for derogatory or discriminatory language in our schools, whether in classrooms, hallways, on athletic fields, buses, or anywhere in our learning environments. We must address individual situations thoughtfully, fairly, and with care for everyone involved, while also committing to the long-term work of shaping school environments where every student experiences dignity, belonging, safety, and respect."
At this meeting, they will discuss how to best move forward together.
"Our students are watching how we respond," Phillips wrote.
"We have an opportunity to model what it looks like to address difficult issues with fairness, dignity, honesty, and care, and in doing so, strengthen our schools for the long term."
Last week, the Pittsfield Public Schools Human Resources Department confirmed that an 8th-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave. The teacher was reportedly describing a classroom incident when the slurs were repeated.
The complaint was publicly made by parent Brett Random, who is the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start.
On her personal Facebook page, she said her daughter reported that her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (N word) and a homophobic slur (F word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."
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