FORT FRANCES – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition Riverside Health Care will stage its annual Public Mammography Blitz at La Verendrye General Hospital.
Women aged 40 and older can walk into the hospital on Victoria Avenue for a mammogram – no appointment needed – between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
For a no-appointment mammogram, simply walk in with a valid health card during those hours and register at the emergency department.
A mammogram can detect breast cancer early, even before symptoms appear, Riverside communications coordinator Kathryn Pierroz said.
Mammograms are performed at the hospital year-round by referral from physicians, she said.
Pierroz said last year’s mammogram blitz drew 22 women and, like this year’s, included refreshments.
The public event is paired with a similar event open to Riverside personnel, she said. This year it was held on Oct. 9.
According to Cancer Care Ontario, one in nine women will be affected by breast cancer, and most cases occur in women who do not have a family history of the disease.
