Garnet Health to offer free mammograms

MIDDLETOWN, NY AND HARRIS, NY — Garnet Health is offering free breast screenings, including a mammogram, to qualified individuals.

The screenings will take place on Saturday, November 5 at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, and on Saturday, November 12 at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills in Harris.

These free events include a clinical breast exam, mammogram and breast health education. Appointments are required and are open to:

Women over age 50

Women who do not have health insurance

Women who have not had a routine mammogram within the last year

One in eight women will develop breast cancer, but when detected early, it can be treated successfully. Garnet Health’s 3D mammography technology can detect breast cancer 40 percent more accurately and earlier, which is critical to successfully treating breast cancer.

If breast cancer is detected, Garnet Health has a multi-disciplinary team ready to work with patients to personalize the care plan, so it is specifically tailored to an individual’s needs and medical history.

“One in eight is a frightening statistic,” said Garnet Health community health manager Moira Mencher, who is coordinating the free breast screening events. “But with routine breast exams, regularly scheduled mammograms and proper health education, as well as working to break down barriers to getting our community members to their healthcare appointments, we can make great strides in creating better health outcomes.”

For residents of Sullivan County, Garnet Health, in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of Sullivan County, is providing free transportation to and from Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills—courtesy of Sullivan County Transportation—for anyone who needs it.

Appointments are limited, and must be made by Tuesday, November 1 for the Middletown event on November 5, and by Monday, November 7 for the Harris event on November 12.

To schedule an appointment, call 888/489-2038 or visit garnethealth.org/events.

Low-radiation mammography available at Wayne Memorial

HONESDALE, PA — Concerned about radiation and a mammogram?

Don’t be.

Wayne Memorial Hospital has mammography equipment that offers the lowest dose of radiation available from a digital breast tomosynthesis system.

Called the Senographe Pristina, it can reconstruct a 3D image from a single scan.

The breast is compressed, as it is in a traditional mammogram, but the hospital said other factors are more comfortable for the patient, which helps improve image quality.

Annual screening mammograms for women aged 40 and older are recommended by the American Cancer Society. The test is performed on younger women with a family history of breast cancer, or if the woman has certain symptoms.

Mammograms require a prescription. Make an appointment by calling the hospital’s scheduling department at 570/251-6689.

Learn more at www.wmh.org/mammography/.