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First Lady Announces 2000
Program - May 2nd in Capitol Rotunda
(Harrisburg) - First Lady
Michele M. Ridge, Honorary Chair of the Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition, joins PBCC President Pat
Halpin-Murphy and the Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation
for a Mother's Day Mammograms® celebration,
Tuesday, May 2nd at 11:00 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda.
The public is invited to attend.
Mother's Day Mammograms®, now in its 11th
year, is a partnership between the Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition and the Rite Aid Women's
Health Foundation. The program connects uninsured
and underinsured women; aged 40 and over, with
healthcare facilities across the state who provide
free screening mammograms. To date, more than
25,000 women have been referred for free and low
cost mammograms in Pennsylvania and across the
United States. Information on the program is available
at all Rite Aid drugstores across Pennsylvania
through May 27, 2000.
First Lady Michele Ridge, is a long time advocate
of Mother's Day Mammograms®. "Governor Ridge
and I encourage families everywhere to give their
loved ones a potentially life-saving gift, a mammogram
for Mother's Day. Breast cancer is a family health
issue and we know that by working together we
can save precious lives," said Mrs. Ridge.
"Mother's Day Mammograms® has enabled thousands
of women to take good care of their health," said
Pat Halpin-Murphy, President of the Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition. "The Pennsylvania Breast
Cancer Coalition encourages every person to ask
the special women in their life to take advantage
of the free mammograms available from participating
healthcare facilities statewide. Pick up your
free Mother's Day Mammograms® brochure at
any Rite Aid store, because mammograms do save
lives!"
Mrs. Ridge will speak at the announcement in
the Capitol Rotunda. Joining her is Pat Halpin-Murphy,
President and Founder of the Pennsylvania Breast
Cancer Coalition; Michael Podgurski, Rite Aid
Women's Health Foundation Board Member and Vice
President of Pharmacy Operations for Rite Aid
and Robert S. Zimmerman, Jr., Pennsylvania Secretary
of Health. Billy Sanders from Lancaster and William
Cray from Bethlehem will speak as husbands of
survivors, encouraging all women to take advantage
of the program.
Mother's Day Mammograms® was founded in
1990 by Charlotte Asherman, Executive Director
of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. The
program is designed for women aged 40 and older
who meet income and insurance guidelines. Interested
women can determine eligibility by calling a toll-free
number, 1-888-RITE-NOW (1-888-748-3669) through
May 27, 2000.
Free mammograms are provided this year through
a unique public-private partnership that includes:
The Pennsylvania Department of Health's HealthyWoman
Project and the following participating healthcare
facilities:
- Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia
- Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown
- St. Luke's Hospital, Allentown
- Easton Hospital, Easton
- Phoenixville Hospital, Phoenixville
- St. Vincent Women's Center, Erie
- Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh
- Hershey Medical Center, Hershey
- Lancaster Health Alliance, Lancaster
- York Health System, York
- Conemaugh Health System, Johnstown
- Penn State Geisinger, Wilkes Barre/Scranton
The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, founded
in 1993, is a non-profit organization. It serves
each of the state's 67 counties through a network
of County Captains, Regional Vice Presidents and
a statewide Board of Directors. Pennsylvania has
the fourth highest rate of breast cancer in the
United States. This year more than 11,000 Pennsylvania
women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More
than 2300 will lose their lives to the disease.
The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition's mission
is to find a cure for breast cancer and to improve
the quality of breast cancer education, research
and outreach in the state.
The Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation is a
non-profit, charitable foundation, sponsored by
Rite Aid Corporation.
For more information on Mother's Day Mammograms®,
pick up a brochure at any Rite Aid store or contact
the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition at 717-738-9567.
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