(Salt Lake City, UT) – Each October, communities and social media are flooded with a sea of pink, as individuals come together in support of raising awareness for breast cancer. This year, the focus during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month moves beyond raising awareness, to a direct call to action for Utahns to get screened.
The breast cancer screening rates in Utah continue to be significantly lower than the national average. Only 65 percent of Utah women get the recommended breast cancer screenings, compared with 72 percent of women nationally. Additionally, data from the Utah Comprehensive Cancer Prevention and Control Plan, show screening rates in Utah have declined since 2000. Increasing breast cancer screening is a priority of the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), the Utah Cancer Action Network, and healthcare professionals throughout the state.
“Our goal is for Utah to be the healthiest state in the nation,” said Gov. Gary R. Herbert shortly before officially declaring October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Utah. “Getting the recommended breast cancer screenings is an important step for women to take. Mammograms can find cancer early, when the chances of successfully treating it are highest. Our goal this year is to make sure that all Utah women who should be getting screened for breast cancer, are getting screened.”
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the UDOH Cancer Control Program is launching its redesigned website, CancerUtah.org. The website makes it easy for Utah women to find a screening location close to where they live, as well as resources to get a free mammogram for women who may be low-income, do not have insurance, or may be underinsured.
For more information about breast cancer screening locations, visit CancerUtah.org.
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Media Contact
Joelle Fierro
Utah Cancer Control Program
(o) 801-538-6233
jfierro@utah.gov