YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – October isn’t just about fall leaves and Halloween, it’s also breast cancer awareness month.
The Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center in Youngstown has a simple mission: to deliver the most accurate prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and support services in an environment of compassionate and coordinated care.
“Throughout the year we go to various health fairs and speaking engagements to try to get the word out how important screening mammographies are,” said Laura Boomhower, Community Health Educator at the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center. “If we can catch the cancer early, we can treat it better and have better outcomes.”
A focal point of the center is having everything you need in one building, so everything can be done in one place. You can also be set up with a navigator who can help maneuver the breast cancer process with you.
The center is known for its 3-D mobile mammography unit that goes out into communities in Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties. The unit travels to 26 different locations four days a week on a monthly basis.
The 3-D mammography unit can be a lifesaver for people in the community, literally.
“A 2019 research project we did showed that 50% of women with stage three and four breast cancers lived in certain zip codes in our area. We put together an initiative to raise awareness on the importance of breast cancer screening,” said Boomhower. “We service people who are in need. People who don’t have proper transportation or have issues and aren’t able to make it to Youngstown or Boardman.”
There’s also a support group available that often features different programs and speakers.
“It’s called Joanie’s Sisters and we meet on the third Wednesday of each month,” said Boomhower. “It’s for breast cancer survivors and we also include other types of female cancers as well.”
The Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center is located at 1044 Belmont Avenue in Youngstown. Call (330) 480-2555 and visit them online.
