Richmond, Henrico Health Districts encourage focus on breast health

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) are encouraging women to focus on breast health throughout the month of October.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to educating people about breast cancer, including metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and how important early detection is along with the quality of care.

According to a release from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), women 25 years of age and older should talk to a healthcare provider about the risk of developing breast cancer, and women 40 and older should get regular breast screenings.

According to recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, women should start getting breast cancer screenings at age 40 and should continue every two years until age 74.

In 2023, it is estimated that around 43,170 women died due to breast cancer, according to VDH.

There was a slight rise in new breast cancer cases throughout Virginia between 2017 and 2021, according to the National Cancer Institute’s State Cancer Profile. In terms of how Richmond localities compare to statewide trends, Richmond was similar to the Virginia rate and the Henrico rate was “somewhat higher” than the Virginia rate.

A tool provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that helps people search for mammography providers by zip code can be found by clicking here.

People can also visit this link to find primary care providers in the Richmond and Henrico areas.

The VDH also provides a public health program called Every Woman’s Life (EWL), which aims to help get uninsured, income-eligible women access to free breast cancer screening services as well as cervical cancer screenings. To find out more information and to see if you qualify, click here.

To read the full release from VDH, visit this link.

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