More than 100 women attended a special breast cancer awareness and prevention event in the East Germantown section of Philadelphia.
This annual event was created by Kerri Conner Matchett, who was first diagnosed with advanced stage of breast cancer in 2008. She is still fighting the disease today. Conner Matchett co-founded the nonprofit Praise Is The Cure® to address and eliminate breast cancer disparities among Black women by providing education, access to early detection, and other support services.
The Fox Chase Cancer Center Mobile Screening Unit was on site to provide mammograms for women who previously made appointments and received prior prescriptions from their doctors.
Keystone First, the largest Medicaid health plan in southeastern Pennsylvania, and one of the sponsors of the event provided blood pressure and diabetes screenings and distributed health education information.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The breast cancer death rate in the United States has dropped significantly over the past 30 years–but Black women continue to be more likely to die from the disease despite having a lower incidence of it, according to a new American Cancer Society report. The breast cancer mortality rate is 40% higher among Black women than white women (27.6 vs. 19.7 per 100,000) the report showed.
About Keystone First
Keystone First is a Medical Assistance (Medicaid) managed care health product offered by Vista Health Plan, Inc., an affiliate of Independence Blue Cross, in five southeastern Pennsylvania counties. Here at Keystone First, we are mission-driven and dedicated to helping members get care, stay well, and build healthy communities. For more information, visit www.keystonefirstpa.com.
Independence Blue Cross and Vista Health Plan, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
