BreastScreen NSW mobile van at Manly improves access to screening

If you are a woman aged between 50 and 69 years, living in the Manly area, you now have easier access to the BreastScreen NSW service.

BreastScreen NSW targets women, without breast problems, aged between 50 and 69 years. Evidence clearly shows that a regular screening mammogram every two years has the greatest potential to prevent death from breast cancer in this key group of women.

Manly mayor, Dr Peter Macdonald launched the BreastScreen NSW Manly mobile van on 5 July 2004.

The Manly mobile van is located in an attractive setting and ensures convenience, confidentiality and ease of access to BreastScreen NSW. The van is located in the bus bays on Ocean Promenade, North Steyne near Manly Pacific Hotel.

BreastScreen NSW Director, Ms Ann Brassil states that “Breast cancer screening in mobile vans is common practice in urban areas throughout Australia and overseas. BreastScreen NSW provides high standards and quality of services at each of their sites whether mobile or fixed location. Performance is assessed against rigorous national standards.”

A visit to the BreastScreen mobile van only takes about 20 minutes. Women are welcomed, Monday to Saturday, by one of two full-time radiographers who have specialised training in taking breast x-rays (mammograms).

The procedure is carefully explained to women and they are informed of their results by mail once their breast x-rays have been assessed.

Professor Mary Rickard, State Radiologist for the BreastScreen NSW Program explains that “All breast x-rays are independently assessed by two specialist doctors (radiologists). A few women need additional tests at the BreastScreen Assessment Clinic, at the Cottage, Royal North Shore Hospital, because their x-rays show uncertain changes in their breasts. Tests used to clarify the changes may include additional breast x-rays, ultrasounds and clinical examinations.”

BreastScreen NSW aims to detect breast cancer in its early stages when treatment can be most effective. Approximately 5 women in every 1000 who have a BreastScreen NSW mammogram will be diagnosed with breast cancer. However, it’s comforting to note that nine out of 10 women asked to come for further tests at the Assessment Clinic will not have breast cancer.

Manly mobile breast cancer screening van was officially launched by Manly Mayor,
Dr Peter Macdonald and BreastScreen NSW NSLCC Director, Dr Robyn Godding

If you are between 50 and 69 years old and live in the Manly area ring 13 20 50 for an appointment. We look forward to seeing you there.

Commonwealth funding offer endangers breast cancer screening

BreastScreen NSW Director Ann Brassil today expressed her disappointment at news of a $13 million dollar Commonwealth funding cut to New South Wales under the new Public Health Outcome Funding Agreement (PHOFA).

"In the current PHOFA due to expire in June 2004, the BreastScreen NSW funding component was based on activity at 1997 levels, which was 239,000 screens per year.

An additional funding cut of $4 million by the Commonwealth would translate into a reduction in screening of around 40,000 women.

Apart from very small escalation, the Commonwealth has not increased funding to the BreastScreen program, which has been supported by NSW Health.

This means in real terms that the Commonwealth has already reduced its funding to the BreastScreen program by around 50,000 screens per year. At an average cost per screen of $100, this equates to an existing cut in funding of $5 million per year,” said Ms Brassil.

“A cut of this magnitude seriously compromises our ability to provide lifesaving breast screening services to the women who most need it.”

Ms Brassil said BreastScreen NSW meets and exceeds an overall cancer detection rate of 42 per 10,000 screens. A cut of $4 million means BreastScreen NSW will detect 168 less invasive cancers.

“A cut of $4 million by the Commonwealth will mean longer waiting times, and in some cases, for those women not in the nationally mandated target age group (50-69 years) who are between 40-49 and older than 70, may result in a waiting period of up to six months. This is not acceptable in the early detection of breast cancer and could lead to lesions going unchecked at the most vital time.

The current proportion of Commonwealth funding in the budget for Screening and Assessment Services is around $12 million per year. Therefore a cut of $4 million by the Commonwealth represents a significant cut in BreastScreen NSW funding.

As reported in the Commonwealth funded Productivity Commission Report on Government Services, BreastScreen NSW is historically the most cost efficient of the BreastScreen programs in Australia. BreastScreen NSW already supplies more services to women with less funding, without compromising standards of cancer detection which are around the best in the country.

However, the accumulated lack of Commonwealth growth funding for BreastScreen NSW at a time when large numbers of baby-boomers are aging into the population eligible for screening in NSW has directly resulted in lower than acceptable participation rates at the present time. The BreastScreen NSW participation rate is currently 51 per cent but the national standard, again recently confirmed, is that 70 per cent of the target population are screened every two years. A further reduction in funding will mean there will be less appointments available and our participation rate will drop even further.

A cut in funding of $4 million will mean BreastScreen NSW services will not be able to comply with the aims and objectives of the BreastScreen Australia program, specifically those requirements to screen 70 per cent of women in the target age group, provide access to women from age 40 years and to provide timely service delivery. This will also compromise the ability of the BreastScreen NSW Screening and Assessment Services to achieve accreditation in the national Program.”

Ms Brassil said breast cancer is the most common cancer of women in NSW with one in ten women getting breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer remains the biggest cancer killer of women in NSW. BreastScreen NSW is one of the most significant public health screening programs in NSW and without sufficient funding it cannot do what it is charged to do – significantly reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer in NSW women.

BreastScreen NSW - National Multicultural Marketing Award Finalist

On November 5th, BreastScreen NSW was recognised for their innovative work with women in the Italian speaking community at the National Multicultural Marketing Awards Gala Dinner. BreastScreen NSW was a finalist for their Italian Marketing Campaign in the highly competitive Seniors Card Community Award category.

Over the past year, BreastScreen NSW developed and implemented an Italian Marketing Campaign to encourage women aged 50 to 69 years in this community group to attend the breast screening program. The Campaign was the result of extensive consultation with Italian speaking women to ensure that the messages used in the marketing material were authentic and credible.

BreastScreen NSW Director, Ms Brassil said that the honour of being a finalist in these prestigious Awards is fantastic encouragement to continue their work in this area. “The next multicultural marketing campaign is already being planned and will also involve extensive community consultation from the outset to encourage greater attendance to the breast screening program. The greater the number of women who attend, the greater the number of lives that might be saved.”

“It is so important that we reach women from a Non-English Speaking Background through a range of mass marketing channels,” Ms Brassil stated. “Italian media outlets were eager to support the campaign and make a difference to the health status of women in the Italian community. These media partnerships have meant that the Campaign has already succeeded in ensuring that women are aware of the breast screening services available to them.”

Ms Brassil congratulated the BreastScreen NSW Non-English Speaking Background Task Force members on the success of the Campaign. “Key recruitment staff worked closely with a consultant to ensure that the Campaign was of a high standard. Italian speaking Health Workers also played a crucial role in relaying information from women in the community.”

The National Multicultural Marketing Awards aim to highlight the advantages of promoting to every potential client and the need to cater for the whole community. They also stimulate creativity in marketing to a culturally diverse society and recognise work of a high standard. Judging for the Awards is undertaken by an independent panel of experts in the fields of marketing and multicultural affairs.

For further information about the Italian Marketing Campaign please contact the Marketing Officer
at the BreastScreen NSW State Coordination Unit on (02) 9845 8855.

BreastScreen NSW Director, Ms Ann Brassil and
members of the Non-English Speaking Background
Task Force at the Awards night

Boost for BreastScreen in the Illawarra

A new breast screening centre has been established at 299 Crown Street, Wollongong. The centre began operating in August and is part of the Government funded Program which provides screening mammograms specifically for women aged 50 to 69 years every two years.

Previously located in Bulli Hospital, the centre had outgrown its premises and service planning had identified an increased demand for a location that would be accessible to a greater number of women in the community.

Ms Kerrie Deville, Health Promotion Officer at BreastScreen Southern Sydney and Illawarra said that the new centre in Wollongong would provide a boost for breast cancer screening in the Illawarra with all the conveniences of being located in the CBD.

“The number of women from Wollongong having a screening mammogram is still low in comparison to other areas. Currently, 55.8% of women aged 50 to 69 years living in Wollongong have a screening mammogram every two years.”

This result is of some concern given that international research has shown that 70% of women aged 50 to 69 years should have a regular screening mammogram in order to run an effective screening program. The aim of BreastScreen is to reduce the number of deaths associated with breast cancer by about 30%.

Ms Deville encouraged women in the community to take advantage of the new breast screening centre. “The two greatest risk factors for developing the disease are being a woman and growing older. One of the most important health practices a woman can do to protect herself against the disease is to have a screening mammogram from the age of 50 years.

If a greater number of women aged 50 to 69 years living in the Wollongong area have a screening mammogram every two years, breast cancer could be detected and treated early before it has
had a chance to spread. These are two crucial determinants for the survival of a woman who has
the disease.”

Women are able to have a screening mammogram in Wollongong within a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. The new centre is in close proximity to public transport and is particularly accessible to women who may work nearby. After an appointment, which only takes about 10 minutes, women can complete any other errands that would normally take them to the CBD.

The new breast screening centre is located at 299 Crown Street, Wollongong. If you are a woman aged 50 to 69 years please phone 13 20 50 for an appointment.

BreastScreen battles breast cancer in the Italian community During a recent community consultation in Leichhardt Italian speaking women in the community were given an opportunity to discuss issues about health, especially the importance of maintaining breast health. Ms Germana Morassi, Senior Health Promotion Officer at BreastScreen NSW said that the aim of the consultation was to identify some of the reasons women choose to have a routine screening mammogram. “With the help of women in the community we have identified key themes and messages that can assist with encouraging more women in the community to attend for a free screening mammogram at BreastScreen NSW. Currently about 40% of Italian speaking women aged 50 to 69 years attend every two years for a screening mammogram at BreastScreen NSW. However, it is vital for a greater number of women in the community to attend regularly if we are to see any benefit in terms of the number of lives that could be saved.” The Italian speaking women who participated in the community consultation were from various parts of Sydney including Fairfield, Moorebank, Rockdale and Ryde. The consultation was conducted in Italian over two hours. Radio and print media were identified as the preferred sources of information for women in the community together with information from their doctor. Ms Morassi stated that key messages provided by the women have been carefully placed into a series of advertisements for Italian radio and newspaper. “The media campaign will run throughout May and September. BreastScreen NSW will be encouraging more Italian speaking women aged 50 to 69 years to have a routine screening mammogram. The more women who attend, the greater the number of lives that could be saved.” To make an appointment for a FREE screening mammogram at BreastScreen NSW, women aged 50 to 69 years are urged to call 13 20 50 or 13 14 50 for the assistance of an Interpreter.