JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a new report, the Centers for Disease Control revealed a significant portion of women at risk for breast cancer went without mammogram screenings in the pandemic years.
They found that 1 in four women ages 50 to 74 years old had not received a mammogram in the past two years as of 2022.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends women in that age group receive a screening mammogram every two years. Earlier screenings are recommended for those with a family history of breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer.
Dr. Shahla Masood, who is Director of the UF Health Breast Center, says oftentimes, mammograms can catch cancer early.
“The majority of image-detected breast cancers are often low-grade, and are often very easily manageable,” said Dr. Masood.
She said that’s why it’s so important to get regular screenings, rather than avoid them out of fear or inconvenience.
But as the CDC notes, barriers prevent many women from seeking mammograms, including social isolation, job loss, transportation issues, and poverty. The pandemic also led some to delay preventative care.
“Lack of education on poverty, across the board, are the most important reason for barriers for proper care,” Dr. Masood said. “Remove those barriers, the people come.”
Removing barriers in recent years has become the goal of non-profit Pink Ribbon Jax.
“Pre-Covid we were focused on research and patient services, and now we exclusively raise funds for free mammograms,” said Marcia Pendjer, who is the chair of Pink Ribbon Jax. “It was an absolute reaction to Covid and seeing what we needed to do to get women and men to get mammograms.”
She said they’ve raised enough money to provide more than 4,000 free mammograms for those without insurance. Another resource they helped launch in recent years is the Buddy Bus, which is a mobile mammography unit that brings screenings to locations across northeast Florida.
“The community sees the value, and they want to use it...that includes corporations, businesses, any place that holding an event of any kind of critical mass, where there are women and men there that need to have a mammogram,” Pendjer said.
Those without insurance can sign up for a free mammogram here. The screenings are offered at multiple Baptist Health locations across northeast Florida. Penjer said they recommend an annual mammogram starting at 40, which is what their free initiative funds.
You can find information on upcoming Buddy Bus events here.