FORT MORGAN, COLO. (October 3, 2024) - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and CommonSpirit St. Elizabeth Hospital is committed to making it easy for you to get a breast cancer screening. During the month of October, St. Elizabeth is hosting Monday Night Mammo, when patients are able come in during extended hours to receive a mammogram.
“It is recommended to do annual screening mammograms starting at the age of 40 years old or sooner if there is family history of breast cancer or palpable concerns,” said Alejandra Miranda, a Mammogram Tech at St. Elizabeth. “For patients between the ages of 25 and 39, we recommend doing a clinical breast exam every one to three years.”
Monday Night Mammo is a tradition that St. Elizabeth started in hopes to spread breast cancer awareness by providing a less intimidating and more accessible way for patients to get their exams done. Exams are available until 8 p.m., and our team will be providing treats and opportunities to win prizes every Monday in October.
When it comes to diseases like breast cancer, early detection is crucial. Last year, St. Elizabeth invested in a 3D mammogram machine, which is the gold standard in breast health. 3D mammography returns approximately 300 images, far more than traditional mammography. This cutting-edge technology results in more accurate detection, earlier diagnosis and can significantly reduce the anxiety associated with this type of exam by reducing the number of false positives.
“Although patients may experience a little discomfort, mammograms are not painful or invasive exams and only take a few minutes to perform,” Miranda said. “Monday Night Mammo events are so important because we want everyone to be able to get screened and don’t want work to be a barrier to prevent someone from coming in and getting a mammogram done.”
Patients can make an appointment by calling Central Scheduling at 970-542-3314.
###
About CommonSpirit
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. The Colorado/Kansas/Utah Division includes 20 hospitals, 240 physician practices and clinics, emergency and urgent care centers, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life® Colorado. With its national office in Chicago and a team of over 175,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit operates 142 hospitals and more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. In FY 2022, CommonSpirit had revenues of $33.9 billion and provided $4.9 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at www.commonspirit.org.
