| Free Screening Mammograms |
The Suzy Fund & Hard Rock Cafe's Pinktober Fund Help Provide Free Screening Mammograms to Underserved Women in Okaloosa & Walton Counties Almost 200,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year; however, annual screenings offer significant hope in the fight against this life-threatening disease. According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival rate is 98% for localized breast cancer that has not spread outside the breast.
The Suzy Fund & The Pinktober Fund
To ensure access to life-saving screening mammograms for women of Okaloosa and Walton counties, Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast partnered with passionate women and community-minded organizations to offer up to 200 free screening mammograms a year, benefiting underserved women of our communities.“Our mission at Sacred Heart is to provide high quality, compassionate healthcare to all, without regard to the ability to pay. Providing these screening mammograms to underserved women will help save countless lives by identifying cancer in an early, preventable stage.”
~ Dr. Charles Stroble, Radiologist
The Suzy Fund was established in October 2007 in partnership with Zampieri’s Harbor Grille, Qantum Communications, American Laser Centers and Sacred Heart Foundation as a result of the first annual “Breast Party in Town.”
The Pinktober Fund is the result of Hard Rock Cafe’s signature Breast Cancer Awareness program worldwide that raises awareness and funds for breast cancer charities. Each year, Hard Rock Café in Destin hosts special events throughout the month of October with proceeds from each event benefiting the “The Pinktober Fund” at Sacred Heart.
Mammogram Screening Guidelines
Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year. A screening mammogram is an x-ray exam of the breast in a woman who has no symptoms. The goal of a screening mammogram is to find cancer when it is still too small to be felt by a woman or her doctor, greatly improving a woman’s chance for successful treatment. Women in their 20s and 30s who are not high risk should have a clinical breast exam as part of their regular health exam, preferably at least every three years.Women at high risk include those who have a known breast cancer gene mutation, have a first-degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister or child) with the designated gene mutation, had radiation therapy to the chest when between the ages of 10 and 30 years old, or have a family history of breast cancer. High-risk women should begin screening mammograms at age 35 or younger, depending on their specific situation.
To qualify for the free screening at Sacred Heart, women must be between the ages of 40 to 65 and reside in either Okaloosa or Walton County. Women on Medicaid or Medicare already qualify for an annual screening mammogram, so the program will target the “working poor” – women who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid but who cannot afford a screening exam.
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