News Information

SCHNECK MEDICAL CENTER GETS ITS PINK ON
April 29, 2010

Pink will be the color of choice at Schneck Medical Center on Friday, May 7—pink dresses, pink shirts, pink ties, pink shoes, pink socks. Hospital employees are being encouraged to wear pink in recognition of breast cancer awareness and to honor all women this Mother’s Day.

Pink is the color adopted in honor of the breast cancer prevention effort. Breast cancer treatment has a high rate of success when the disease is caught early and regular mammograms are an important tool in early detection.

Could You Be the Eighth Woman?
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. This high statistic coupled with early detection can drastically reduce the risk of death. With 2.3 million survivors alive today and a 98% five-year survival rate, there is much hope for those who take the time to get an annual mammogram and breast screening early.

Get Your “Pink On”
Tell your friends these five important facts about breast cancer as recommended by the American Cancer Society:
• All women can get breast cancer—even those who have no family history of the disease.
• The two most important factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older.
• Women diagnosed with early breast cancer, when the cancer is small and has not spread, have a high chance of surviving it.
• Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. Get one every year starting at age 40. If you notice any breast changes, tell your doctor without delay.
• You can help reduce the chance of developing breast cancer by engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol intake.

Through early detection and improved treatment, more women than ever before are surviving breast cancer.

Schneck Cancer Center Receives National Accreditation
The Schneck Cancer Center was recently granted a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons.

Receiving care at a CoC Accredited center ensures that a patient will have access to comprehensive care, including a full range of state-of-the-art services; a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the best treatment options; and information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options. Most importantly, patients will receive quality cancer care close to home.

“The logistics of cancer treatment can be demanding for patients, and they don’t need to be,” said Sally Acton, RN, MSM, OCN, Director of Cancer Services. “This accreditation symbolizes our efforts to streamline the cancer diagnosis and treatment process for our patients and deliver high quality care close to home.”

Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process.

Established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, the CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care.