GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Women are being called upon to register and sign-up as soon as possible for the next free breast abnormalities and health screening exam/survey which is set for this Saturday, April 13th.
In order to participate in the screenings, you need to register as it is based on appointment. You can call or email: 554-4532 or cgolding@aucmed.edu. If you are running late or unable to maintain the appointment, call the aforementioned number to let the organizers know.
The screening is carried out on scheduled Saturdays between 8.30am to 3.00pm.
The examination is a collaborative effort by the Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), the Positive Foundation, and the American University of the Caribbean (AUC), the latter, is lead research agency.
An overall health assessment will be carried out that includes taking your height, weight to calculate Body Mass Index; blood pressure, heart rate; visual acuity, blood glucose and cholesterol.
Those in attendance will also receive a presentation about the risk factors for breast cancer, including information regarding modifiable risk factors that can help to reduce the overall breast cancer risk; assessment of individual breast cancer risk via Gail model, and the distribution of breast cancer awareness brochures to take home.
The screenings target population are women 18+ years of age.
The screenings take place at the Vineyard Office Park Building in Philipsburg at the CPS Offices.
Breast abnormalities represent a large spectrum of disorders including benign, congenital, hormonal and malignancies such as breast cancer.
Major risk factors for breast cancer in women are age, genetic predisposition and hormonal imbalance. Breast density is also a significant factor, especially in women 40 to 49 years of age.
The purpose of the study is to gain insight into the types of breast abnormalities and risk factors in women 18 and above with no age cap in Sint Maarten.
