HOW TO HELP | Promote NBCAM
Bright ideas for the clinic, the workplace, and the community Throughout NBCAM's history, Program Leaders have developed many creative ways to reach women. This section provides BRIGHT IDEAS to reach women in the clinic, at the workplace, and in the community. Some of these ideas may work for you or inspire new thoughts. NBCAM's educational campaign, "Pass the Word," consists of communication initiatives to facilitate a woman's decision to engage in early detection of breast cancer. As program leaders, you can help women and the community understand the importance of a triad of behaviors that includes mammography screening, clinical breast exams performed by health care providers, and breast self-examination.

You will find other ways to "Pass the Word" on our Website, www.nbcam.org. There is an E-mail greeting card to send, as well as an E-mail message that allows you to "Pass the Word" to five people close to you and encourage them to pass the word to others they know: that early detection of breast cancer results in earlier, potentially less invasive treatment and an improved chance of survival.

In the Clinic
Program Leaders who work as health care providers have a tremendous opportunity to boost mammography use. In one study, 94 percent of women whose physicians had recommended mammograms had obtained 1 in the last 2 years, while only 36 percent of women whose physicians had not made the recommendation had done so.

Tips for Passing the Word for clinic planners
Physicians' offices can:
  • Keep women in the habit of being screened regularly by setting up a "tracking and tickler" system to remind physicians to do clinical breast exams and discuss mammography during patient visits.
  • Run a prerecorded telephone message about the importance of mammography screening that clients can listen to while on hold for your office.
  • Schedule a physician from your clinic to speak to local media about breast cancer detection.
  • Give women an action step as part of your NBCAM message. List a toll-free telephone number to call for more breast cancer information or how to find a low-cost mammogram.

Mammography facilities can:
  • Offer extended hours at least 1 or 2 days of the week to help women who cannot get time away from their 9-to-5 workday to get their mammograms.
  • Expect increased demand in October. Be prepared by providing ample staffing during the month, and consider increasing your office hours to include weekends or evenings.
  • Send a notice to primary care physicians' offices in your area to let them know if you are providing extended hours or discounts during October.
  • Offer to provide breast health education to civic organizations and places of worship in your community.
  • Contact the American College of Radiology for information about screening locations.

Clinic Successes
  • October begins flu shot season. The Las Vegas chapter of the American Cancer Society with other partners reached 7,000 women who attended flu shot clinics throughout Las Vegas. Women received onsite enrollment for mammography and clinical breast exams.
  • One clinic's staff wore pins that read, "Ask Me About Mammography" to prompt discussions with patients and make office staff seem approachable.
  • Prudential Health Plans in Columbus, OH, sponsored and publicized a contest for beneficiaries age 50 and older. Women returned a postcard indicating they had a mammogram. The health plan drew one name at the end of the year. The winner received a six-hour beauty treatment at a local spa.
  • The Medical Society of the District of Columbia published an article in its newsletter encouraging health professionals to take advantage of increased publicity to promote breast cancer screening.

At the Workplace
Women make up more than 50 percent of the American workforce. Approximately 44 percent of those diagnosed with cancer will be employed at the time of their diagnosis. Chances are some of those women are employees at your workplace.

The NBCAM Board of Sponsors urges all employers to examine the health care benefits they provide their employees and to take the steps needed to provide significant benefits for mammography screening.

Workplace Successes
  • All District of Columbia government employees received a breast cancer message on their pay stubs.
  • In Mississippi, McDonald's restaurants printed tray liners with a mammography message and a toll-free information line.
  • Information flyers were mailed out in Avon catalogs and to food stamp recipients in Montana. In Albuquerque, NM, the local ValPak coupon package was mailed to every house within a designated ZIP code, carrying an insert on breast cancer early detection, along with valuable coupons from local vendors.
  • A Wal-Mart pharmacy in North Olmsted, OH, put information in each prescription bag during October. They also ran announcements on their PA system and made sure employees were informed, as well.
  • Lands' End, located in southwest Wisconsin, employs 5,000-8,000 individuals, depending on the season. After realizing there were no adequate support groups in the southwest region of Wisconsin, one employee and breast cancer survivor started an entirely voluntary support group with 30 members called the Lands' End "Breast Friends."As soon as an employee is diagnosed with breast cancer,"Breast Friends" sends a mail or phone message encouraging them to participate. There are between 15-20 women each month who meet. The group also sponsors and particapates in breast cancer awareness activities annually.
  • AstraZeneca began an in-house breast cancer screening program, beginning in 1989. Employee participation in the program, which also includes educational activities and clinical breast examinations, is more than 90 percent, exceeding national averages of about 30 percent. Some of the major "selling points" among employees are familiarity with medical staff, the ease of getting an appointment during the work day, and the feeling of being cared for by a staff committed to breast health.

In the Community
It is easy to distribute materials about NBCAM to women aged 40 and older. Talk to some of the women in your target audience and ask them where they go for their health information, then place your NBCAM messages there.

Tips for Passing the Word for community planners
  • Contact your local hospital or mammography facilities to find speakers who are experts in the early detection of breast cancer for your events.
  • Partner with a mammography facility to make screening appointments for women while they are attending your event.
  • Contact the Breast Cancer Resource Committee or the National Medical Association for information and tips on reaching African American women.
  • Post information on bulletin boards at local community centers, places of worship, the library, and post office.
  • Exhibit or post materials at the county fair or health fairs, which are popular in the fall.
  • Take advantage of "back-to-school" shopping in August to alert mall shoppers to upcoming activities for October.
  • To reach older women, work through senior centers, senior newspapers, and retirement homes.

Community Successes
  • The School, Family and Community Partnership Committee of the Orchard Hills School PTA in Milford, CT sponsored a "Mom's Night Out ... An Evening Dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness" in January 2003. A speaker, educational materials, and a mobile mammography unit made up the program. In addition, spa services were donated by local providers to top off the evening. "It's my fight, too" pins were distributed to family members and friends of people with breast cancer. This is a great way to involve men in the effort.
  • A Latina Program Leader leveraged her position within her sorority to send information to all members across the country. She also posted announcements about breast cancer early detection on electronic bulletin boards and wrote an article about her mother's experience for her sorority newsletter.
  • A Hopi tribe in Arizona partnered with local wellness groups to sponsor a "Walk the Hopi Mesas for Breast Cancer." In New Mexico, an exhibit displayed photos of breast cancer survivors doing their favorite "living" activities. The Elder Care Indian Health Service in Alaska Native villages incorporated breast cancer education into its usual activities.
  • The health department in Sparta, NJ, partnered with beauty salons to provide customers at the salons with literature, emery boards, balloons, pink ribbons, and an educational display.
  • NBCAM Program Leaders have participated in the American Cancer Society's (ACS) "Tell a Friend" campaign, organizing their telephone calling campaign for a Tuesday in October. The program involves trained volunteers who call five friends to encourage them to get a mammogram. This strategy, called "peer counseling," has proven successful because the volunteers are contacting women who are much like themselves. For more information, contact the ACS at (800) ACS-2345.
  • An outreach coordinator persuaded a local hospital to donate 80 free mammograms for uninsured women in Kansas.
  • The General Federation of Women's Clubs in Seward, NE, worked to raise $40,000 for a new mammography unit. They held luncheons, exhibited at the county fair, and held a tea for survivors that was announced in local newspapers.

Involve Public Officials
Public officials - mayors, governors, state legislators, and their spouses - have helped to make National Breast Cancer Awareness Month a newsworthy event. Many mayors and governors have signed proclamations for NBCAM to encourage women to seek breast cancer screening. They offered free mammograms to city employees, found funding to pay for screening for low-income women, and garnered publicity for the issue.

Tips for Passing the Word to public officials
  • Allow plenty of lead time. Getting a proclamation approved and signed can be a lengthy process. Plan to make frequent follow-up phone calls.
  • You will more likely get attention for your request for a public official's involvement if you invite other local cancer control organizations and prominent individuals to join you in submitting the request.
  • Send your request on the letterhead of one lead organization and include the signatures of all other coalition members. Choose a single person who will be the contact to represent the group in the cover letter.
  • If you are requesting that a public official sign a proclamation, include a copy of the proclamation with your letter.
  • If you are requesting that a public official participate in a NBCAM event, include the date, time, location, and a brief description in your letter. Also note the names of any other invited public officials, any sponsors of the event, a general description of the audience, and the role you would like the person to play.
  • Contact information for city and state officials can be found in your local telephone directory. If you wish to invite an official's spouse, call the official's office and ask for the name and address of the staff person who handles the spouse's correspondence and scheduling.
  • Contact the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation for information and tips on partnering with political representatives and their spouses.

Recipes for Breast Cancer Patients! Designed for cancer patients and their families, these easy-to-follow recipes focus on foods best tolerated and those to ease the symptoms during treatment.
May 2008 - Neutropenia
Courtesy of Holly Clegg, co-author of "Eating Well Through Cancer," and NBCAM.
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