Hospital CEO: It's time to paint the town pink

This is a commentary by Paul P. Hinchey, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler.

Today is Oct. 1, the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month and the official start to our month-long PAINT THE TOWN PINK awareness campaign.

I’m proud to say that St. Joseph’s/Candler and the Savannah Morning News are again partnering to highlight the serious impact that breast cancer can have on a patient, as well as the collateral damage experienced by that patient’s family and friends. As most area residents know, this annual campaign is an effort to create awareness about this deadly disease, as well as emphasizing the power of early detection through mammography.

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This is the 16th consecutive year of our campaign partnership, and much has changed during that time. Medical technology has vastly improved.

We’ve seen major advancements in chemotherapy, made great strides in genetic research, and we continue to see improvements in survivorship. The average five-year survival rate for those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer is now more than 90%.

Early-stage diagnosis is the fundamental component of this encouraging statistic. It’s no secret that detecting breast cancer in its earliest stages allows for better treatment options, healthier outcomes, and an increase in long-term survival. And the best surveillance tool for early detection is mammography.

There are nearly 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. and annual deaths from breast cancer have declined by nearly 40% over the past several decades. This hopeful trend is primarily due to heightened awareness and early detection. Yet, with approximately 40,000 lives still being lost to the disease annually, there is much critical work still to be done.

For our community, a major obstacle to overcome lies in the reality that there are many people who cannot afford a life-saving screening mammogram. Fortunately, we have an additional tool to overcome that hurdle: St. Joseph’s/Candler’s Telfair Mammography Fund.

This special fund makes mammography and other breast health services accessible to those in our community who otherwise would not be able to afford it. We want to ensure there are no barriers to this simple health screening for our community. All proceeds from SmartWomen, as an example, go to this fund.

The point is simple: whether you have health insurance or not, it is vital that those who need an annual mammogram, get one. With the Telfair Mammography Fund, there is no excuse.

A convenient way to get screened is during our annual Mammography Day scheduled for Monday, Oct. 30 at six locations throughout the region. Those sites include St. Joseph’s Hospital, the Telfair Pavilion at Candler Hospital, St. Joseph’s/Candler Imaging Centers in Bluffton and Pooler, The Telfair Breast Imaging Center on Eisenhower Drive, and our Mobile Mammography Unit — this year located at Plant Riverside District near the JW Marriott hotel. Call 819-PINK to register.

Meanwhile, numerous schools, businesses and other organizations have joined our cause and will be holding special events and promotions throughout the month. Many of these efforts support our Telfair Mammography Fund, for which I am forever grateful. You can check out the entire list in today’s full-page ad or on our website at sjchs.org/pink. If you’d like to contribute, you can text PTTP to 50155.

Although our campaign lasts only one month, it’s important that we remember the tens of thousands of people living with the impact of breast cancer each day, and the thousands of dedicated researchers who have dedicated their lives to finding a cure.

I want to thank our team of cancer experts and clinical researchers at the Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion for their tireless work, dedicated zeal and endless optimism, as well as our community of friends and partners who are joining us in this effort.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Paint the town pink campaign focuses on breast cancer awareness