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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
Get Screened for Early Detection |
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an expert panel that makes recommendations about preventive services, now recommends all women should get screened for breast cancer every other year, starting at age 40. At BMC, we are taking it a step further, and recommend patients receive a breast screening every year, beginning at age 40. Our Breast Imaging Center offers traditional mammograms and state-of-the-art full-field digital mammograms to ensure the best screening possible.
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“Black women develop breast cancer at an earlier age and face far worse outcomes when compared to white women. We have advocated for annual screens so we can ensure inclusivity in patients who are screened and help improve these outcomes,” says Tabitha Cherilus, Director of Cancer Equity.
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| Learn more and schedule a breast cancer screening today → |
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BMC Patient Navigators Help People Living with Cancer Navigate Their Care
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FG Trade, Getty Images
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At the BMC Cancer Center, patient navigators are available to help patients diagnosed with cancer understand their diagnosis and treatment options, as well as schedule follow-up visits and work with the patient’s health insurance company — all of which can take some administrative burden and stress off patients and their families and can lead to better health outcomes.
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“Navigators make sure patients understand their treatment plan, identify things that are interfering with their
ability to participate in that treatment plan, and connect them with resources — whether it be housing support, employment or disability support, income support, or food insecurity and helping them access healthy foods. Transportation is also a huge one,” said Dr. Tracy Battaglia, associate director of the Belkin Breast Health Center.
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| Learn more about our patient navigators → |
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4 Tips for Breast Health
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Early detection can make all the difference in a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The expert team at BMC wants you to know four key tips to knowing your breast health status and your risk of breast cancer.
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Know Your Risk
Learn about your family’s medical history and whether anyone has been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past. Knowing your risk is the first step to understanding what prevention and early detection options are available to you. Learn more about the risk factors for breast cancer.
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Consult Your Providers
Your primary care provider can help you understand your personal risk for breast cancer, regardless of your family history. Prevention and early detection options can be personalized based on your risk and may include healthy lifestyle behaviors like maintaining a healthy weight. Learn what you can do to reduce your risk of
breast cancer.
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Know Your Normal
Do breast self-checks once a month to feel for lumps or other changes. If you notice a change in your breast, feel a lump, experience pain or swelling, or experience any of these additional symptoms, contact your primary care provider. Doing regular self-exams helps you know what is normal for you, so you can be more aware if something does change.
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Schedule Your Mammogram
Yearly screenings are recommended for women over the age of 40. Mammograms are important screenings to identify potential issues and catch them early. Early detection is the best way to prevent serious disease.
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BMC Voices: A Life-Changing Clinical Trial for One Woman’s Sickle
Cell Disease
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In honor of Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we’re sharing Cloret Carl’s story. Cloret spent decades trying to manage the life-altering symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD) on her own.
Symptoms like pneumonia, full-body pain crises, and congestive heart failure put her in and out of the hospital as a child and young adult. It was in the early 90s when Cloret came across a clinical trial from BMC. Her daughter called to make sure she was eligible, and she enrolled in the trial. “Things could only get better, and maybe someone else could even benefit,” she says. Now with her SCD well-controlled, Cloret remains a BMC patient, getting her care from what is now our Center of Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease.
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| Read the rest of Cloret’s inspiring story → |
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Announcements
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BMC’s Grayken Center for Addiction and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Collaborate to Expand the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline
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The Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline is available 24
hours a day, seven days a week. Helpline staff stay on the line with callers who are using drugs and may experience an overdose. They offer compassionate, non-judgmental service and can also help people find their closest harm reduction program. The collaboration between BMC’s Grayken Center for Addiction and the MA Department of Public Health is the first effort in the nation by a public health department to fund and support an overdose prevention helpline. The change will allow the helpline to increase its capacity through paid staff and volunteers, and provide enhanced training for volunteers, all while maintaining short wait times.
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“This collaboration marks a new day in our mission to prevent fatal overdoses across Massachusetts,” said Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP, Director of the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline and Harm Reduction Program Manager of the Clinical Addiction Research & Education Unit at Boston Medical Center.
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If you or someone you know are at risk of experiencing an overdose, the overdose prevention helpline is available to help at 1-800-972-0590.
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| Learn more about this important initiative → |
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Awards
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Newsweek’s World’s Best Smart Hospitals
We are proud to be named one of Newsweek's World’s Best Smart Hospitals for 2024. This list awards 330 hospitals from 28 countries that stand out for their use of smart technologies such as electronic functionalities, telemedicine, digital imaging, artificial intelligence, and robotics. We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to integrating innovative technologies that empower our patients to thrive.
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| Read more about this honor here → |
Becker’s 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs
We’re honored to share that BMC’s Cancer Center has been recognized as one of Becker’s “100 hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs”. The BMC Cancer Center has a team of
top-level, internationally renowned hematologists, oncologists, oncology scientists, radiation oncologists, and surgeons in every disease area, and continues to make bold strides in working to provide access to gene and cellular therapy treatments for all who need them.
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| See the full list here → |
Becker’s 153 Hospital and Health System Chief Nursing Officers to Know
Congratulations to Nancy Gaden, DNP, RN. Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at BMC for being named one of the 153 CNOs to Know! CNOs are
responsible for overseeing nursing departments, launching initiatives, and maintaining outstanding patient care outcomes. These leaders bring a unique blend of clinical and leadership experience to their roles.
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| See the full list here → |
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Upcoming Events
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Weekly Farmer's Market
When: Tuesdays through October 31, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Shapiro lobby at 725 Albany Street
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Mike's 5K to Crush Substance Abuse
When: Saturday, October 14 at 10 a.m.
Where: Collicot School, 80 Edge Hill Rd, Milton, MA 02186
Register to join Team BMC
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When I found out I had breast cancer, I was scared and in shock. My providers explained everything to me and made me feel comfortable that everything was going to be
alright. They are my team, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been treated with respect and care, and I never felt alone on my journey to get well.
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When I found out I had breast cancer, I was scared and in shock. My providers explained everything to me and made me feel
comfortable that everything was going to be alright. They are my team, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been treated with respect and care, and I never felt alone on my journey to get well.
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“In Your Words” features patient comments from patient experience outreach surveys. We
appreciate your time completing these surveys and for sharing your thoughts with us. The information gathered in these surveys is used to learn where we can improve, to continue to provide exceptional care to all.
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Join us as we reimagine healthcare for Boston and beyond. There’s never been a more exciting time to be a part of our award-winning Nursing and Radiology teams.
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View open roles here.
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