Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Effingham

(FROM LEFT, DR. RYAN JENNINGS, JILL NAVARRO, SUSAN KOONTZ, ASHLEY DAVIS, MAYOR JEFF BLOEMKER, KELLY SAGER, DR. RUBEN BOYAJIAN AND MIKE JANIS)

Effingham Mayor Jeff T. Bloemker has signed a proclamation designating October 2016 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The proclamation states that since October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and approximately 10,160 Illinois women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 according to the American Cancer Society, the Mayor proclaims October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and urges all women to take precautions to prevent breast cancer.

Joining the Mayor as he signed the proclamation were representatives from HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, including Ruben Boyajian, MD, Medical Director of Women’s Wellness and Cancer Care Services; Ryan Jennings, MD, Chief Medical Officer; Kelly Sager, Chief Nursing Officer; Mike Janis, Executive Director of Outpatient and Ancillary Services, Ashley Davis, Women’s Wellness Center Nurse Navigator; Susan Koontz, Women’s Wellness Center Facilitator, and Jill Navarro, Cancer Program Specialist.

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women.  Of the 10,160 women in Illinois estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, it is expected that 1,660 women will die of the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. Research shows that deaths from breast cancer could be reduced if women follow breast cancer screening recommendations, including routine mammography, regular examinations by a physician, and monthly breast self-examinations. Mammography can identify breast abnormalities that may be cancerous at earlier stages when treatment is more effective and cure more likely. Numerous studies have shown that early detection increase survival and treatment options. The five-year survival rate for breast cancers found in the earliest stages is 99 percent.

For more information about mammography or scheduling a mammogram, contact St. Anthony’s Women’s Wellness Center at 217-347-1601. For more information about HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, visit the hospital’s web site at www.stanthonyshospital.org. Mammography services are provided at all the hospitals in the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System.