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Celebrating 10 Years of Yes, Mamm!
Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation’s Yes, Mamm! program recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and the impact of the last 10 years of free mammograms, diagnostic services and program support gives each patient a lifetime of opportunities.
“Mammograms cost about $150 on average, depending on the type of mammogram,” said Meredith Herald, major gifts manager, CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations. “When we first started Yes, Mamm!, our philosophy was that no person should have to choose between going to the grocery store and getting a mammogram.”
A Program Built on Generosity
In the last 10 years, Yes, Mamm! raised more than $3.5 million to provide 4,500 screening mammograms, 850 diagnostic mammograms, 900 ultrasounds, and $30,500 in transportation assistance, in addition to counseling, education and supplies, such as wigs, chemo caps and lymphedema sleeves.
Support from businesses and organizations, like LBX Company, Lexus of Lexington and Kentucky CancerLink, make it possible to provide lifesaving preventive care.
“Our community partners support Yes, Mamm! in more ways than just financial support,” Herald said. “They get the word out, they provide their customers with pamphlets and brochures, especially during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. We really enjoy and appreciate our partnership with all of our community contributors.”
The most recent support came from LBX Company. The company auctioned Pink-Belt, the 15.2-metric ton Link-Belt 145 X4 excavator that traveled the United States last year to show support for breast cancer awareness, including the CONEXPO/CON-AGG in Las Vegas in March.
The auction raised $385,000 with half of the proceeds, $192,000, benefitting Yes, Mamm! — the largest single donation to Yes, Mamm! since the program began.
“Through the continued support of our dealers, customers and business partners, we have been proud and honored to contribute to the fight against breast cancer,” said Eric Sauvage, president and CEO of LBX Company. “We have been supporting the Yes, Mamm! program in their journey to bring awareness for early detection of breast cancer, and increase the survival rate in our communities and in our nation.”
Randy Denney of Denney Excavating, Indianapolis, Indiana, won the auction with his bid of $375,000 for the 15.2-metric ton Link-Belt 145 X4 excavator.“I have a large number of close friends affected [by breast cancer], so it was the right thing for me to do,” Denney said.Jay Shafer, winner of the 2020 Pink-Belt Auction, donated $10,000 in addition to Denney’s winning bid. Over the past three years, LBX Company has donated $303,750 in support of Yes, Mamm! through auction proceeds.
Cervical Cancer Screenings
In 2021, grant funding from the Kentucky Women’s Cancer Screening Program, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, provided a boost to Yes, Mamm! CHI Saint Joseph Health Foundations, in partnership with CHI Saint Joseph Health Partners, launched another program, Yes, Cerv!, to provide free cervical cancer screenings and treatments for eligible women who are uninsured and underinsured.
In the two years since Yes, Cerv! started, it has supported more than 50 patients and covered expenses for 88 services, including screenings and treatments.
Yes, Mamm! and Yes, Cerv! program coordinator Tracy Colon, BSN, RN, said both programs are inclusive and the goal is to provide every woman the support she needs.
“These no-cost programs help people who have been left behind,” Colon said. “I take brochures to housekeepers at hotels, hostesses at restaurants, estheticians, hair stylists — people who are working but may not have automatic health care benefits. We want to empower these women to take control of their health by calling us to get their preventive cancer screenings.”
Colon said most referrals to Yes, Mamm! and Yes, Cerv! come through Kentucky CancerLink and the CHI Saint Joseph Health HOPE line, where anyone in need of a screening or follow-up care can call to schedule an appointment.
“Kentucky CancerLink provides support throughout the entire process, from scheduling to follow-ups,” Colon said. “They also have Spanish-speaking navigators who can attend appointments with patients to help them with the process.”
To schedule an appointment, call the HOPE line at 1.844.940.4673 (HOPE) or Kentucky CancerLink at 1.877.597.4655. Learn more about Yes, Mamm!.
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