Mobile breast health educational unit for Sedibeng

Vicky Saunders, Avon Justine's PR, Internal Communications and Corporate Affairs Managers says, “through our corporate social responsibility programme iThemba, Avon Justine is committed to improving the lives of South Africans at grassroots level by focusing on healthcare education and community welfare programmes. The company pays particular attention to breast cancer, which is the most common women's cancer in South Africa.” According to the National Cancer Registry, one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

Sadly, more than 3,000 women die each year from the disease, but Dr Carol-Ann Benn, breast cancer expert and a founder of the Breast Health Foundation is convinced this number could be reduced if more people learn to detect their cancer at the early stages. “Many women still see breast cancer as a death sentence, yet about a 90% five year survival rate is found when breast cancer is caught before it spreads,” says Dr Benn.

As raising awareness about breast cancer is so vital to a patient's survival, Saunders says iThemba continually seeks new and better ways to reach out to as many women as possible, encouraging them to be vigilant when it comes to breast self examinations and highlighting the importance of early treatment.

In this latest initiative, Avon Justine iThemba has partnered with the Breast Health Foundation to launch its first community breast health educational unit.

Two community educators, themselves breast cancer survivors, will travel throughout Sedibeng creating awareness, increasing the early detection rate and therefore saving lives. iThemba already funds two CANSA mobile units in the Orange Free State which do pap smears, breast examinations and breast cancer awareness talks.

Louise Turner, Project Manager of the Breast Health Foundation, hopes the new unit will also streamline the current process for diagnosed cancer patients, as she explains, “unfortunately, many patients fall through the cracks and don't receive early treatment because they go to an incorrect facility, or they are too frightened to deal with the consequences of diagnosis and treatment. Now, if a patient is seen to have signs of breast cancer, the mobile health educator will refer the patient to either the Helen Joseph Hospital or Baragwanath Hospital. A cancer educator will spend one day a week at either Helen Joseph or Baragwanath Hospitals' breast clinic and will be available on site to provide emotional and informative support for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer.”

Turner adds that the fact that the health educators themselves are breast cancer survivors is a great advantage to the unit. They not only have greater empathy for their patients, but they also give their patients hope and faith that breast cancer can be overcome if detected early enough.

The launch of the Avon Justine iThemba Mobile Unit is part of a series of initiatives Avon Justine iThemba has developed together with the Breast Health Foundation to help stem the upsurge in breast cancer. On Monday 30 March, the first iThemba Breast Cancer Awareness Conference was held at Gold Reef City. The conference focused on nurses from community health centres and health promoters from local and regional government, informing them about the facts of breast cancer and empowering them to actively encourage the women of their communities to not ignore any indications of breast cancer.

Other initiatives include:

The annual Avon Justine iThemba Walkathon which raises funds for Bosom Buddies, the Breast Health Foundation's breast cancer support group that will be taking place on Sunday, 18 October in Johannesburg and Sunday, 25 October in Cape Town this year.

The sponsoring of radiographers to attend a new specialised mammography course at the University of Johannesburg to help combat the massive skills shortage that South Africa faces within this field.

In February 2009, iThemba sponsored a mini-revamp of the Helen Joseph Mammogram Unit to provide comfort and support to patients within the unit.

iThemba is also a sponsor of Look Good…Feel Better - an organisation that provides inspirational beauty workshops for women going through cancer treatment. In 2008, iThemba sponsored the iThemba / LGFB ladies days which took place in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Through all these initiatives Avon Justine is actively involved in educating men and women throughout South Africa about the importance of early detection.