CHI Franciscan Health is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month by reinforcing recommended screenings and engaging in community outreach throughout the month of October.

CHI Franciscan has one of the most comprehensive and advanced breast health programs in the Puget Sound and is nationally recognized for its screening and diagnostic services.

CHI Franciscan hospitals are hosting breast cancer screenings and awareness events through various community outreach events, including:

• Breast Cancer Screening event at Highline Medical Center in Burien (Oct. 25)

• Breast Cancer Screening event at Harrison Medical Center-Silverdale sponsored by KCMS 105.3 spirit radio (Oct. 18)

• Bras for a Cause awareness raising and fundraiser at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw (Oct. 12)

• NFL Crucial Catch screening promotion at the Seahawks vs. Texans (Oct. 29).

“Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, CHI Franciscan Health will be out in our communities increasing awareness and access to critical screening services,” said Lynne Clark, MD, FACS, Franciscan Breast Surgery Associates at St. Joseph Medical Center. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects women and is also the second leading cause of cancer death. I recommend women ages 40 and over be screened annually. Women with a strong family history of breast cancer should talk to their health care provider about their risk and when to start screening or consider referral to a high risk clinic for evaluation.”

CHI Franciscan provides world-class cancer care that utilizes a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that focuses on treating the whole person. CHI Franciscan has the only nationally accredited breast cancer program in Pierce County and one of only two in King County.

St. Francis Hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Anthony Hospital have multidisciplinary breast programs that are accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and provide high-quality, advanced treatment options. Franciscan Breast Center at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, Carol Milgard Breast Center in Tacoma, Highline Imaging in Burien, and Harrison Imaging Services are accredited as Breast Imaging Centers of Excellence by the American College of Radiology for providing the highest level of imaging quality and patient safety in diagnostic services. CHI Franciscan Health’s cancer care is also accredited by the Commission on Cancer (CoC), a program of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS).

For more information about CHI Franciscan’s breast cancer program, visit chifranciscan.org/health-care-services.

For screening locations, visit chifranciscan.org/mammograms.

Breast Cancer in Washington state:

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer that affects Washington women

• It is the second leading cause of cancer death among Washington women

• In 2017, there will be an estimated 5950 new cases of and 850 deaths from female breast cancer in Washington State

• The rate of breast cancer incidence in Washington State is one of the highest in the country, at 134.8 cases per 100,000 women, according to the latest available data

According to the American Cancer society:

• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women

• Early detection, better treatments, awareness and screening led to a 38 percent drop – or 297,300 fewer breast cancer deaths – from the late 1980s until 2014

• Women have about 1 in 37 or 2.7 percent chance of dying from breast cancer

• There are 3.1 million people who have a history of breast cancer across the nation (number includes those in treatment and those who finished treatment)

• About 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women this year

• This year, about 40,610 women will die from breast cancer