Special to The Dallas Examiner
A “Mother’s Day Out for Breast Health” event, presented by Parkland Health, will provide mammograms for up to 100 women who live in ZIP Codes 75060, 75061, 75210, 75211, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75241, 75217 and 75243.
“We know many families will be celebrating Mother’s Day and we thought this would be a great gift for mom that is free and shows her you care,” said Vivian Johnson, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, senior vice president of Clinical Services at Parkland Health. “We’re planning for this to be a fun day all for mom, complete with music and even line dancing.”
The event will be held Saturday and run from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Moody Center for Breast Health, 5151 Maple Ave., Ste. 1A. Online registration is required and available at https://www.parklandhealth.org/mothersdayout.
“Black women have higher mortality rates from breast cancer compared to other races, but mammograms can detect breast cancer early,” Johnson said. “These ZIP Codes are areas where our Community Health Needs Assessment has shown low compliance with annual mammograms. Parkland wants to increase the number of mammograms in these ZIP Codes and work to reduce health disparities.”
Black women have the highest probability of developing breast cancer in Dallas County, and breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Black Dallas County women, according to the 2022 Dallas County Health Needs Assessment.
But preventive care saves lives. Breast cancer mortality rates declined nationally by 41% over the last 30 years due to increased availability of mammography screening, early detection, awareness and improved treatment. Parkland leaders hope events like Mother’s Day Out for Breast Health will provide women with the resources to take charge of their health and to carry those conversations into their communities.
“As mothers, we tend to put others first and not make time to take care of our own health,” Johnson added. “We want women to begin making it a priority to take care of themselves. Committing to having a mammogram this weekend and then annually is one way to begin.”
For more information about the Mother’s Day Out for Breast Health event and other Parkland services, visit https://www.parklandhealth.org.