The Walk-Run for Life benefits many local organizations who help in the fight against cancer.  Here are some details of just a few:

North Country Mobile Mammography
is a service started in 2003 that has a goal of providing women who are uninsured, underinsured or those who simply do not get mammograms the opportunity to use this lifesaving screening tool. Women who are uninsured or underinsured will be referred to the appropriate agency to get their doctor’s visit as well as their mammogram paid for. All women will need an order from their health care provider, all order must be a screening (no known problems). NCMMS travels to small towns in St. Lawrence County three days per week doing mammograms from a coach. We have identified approximately 10,000 women who do not get mammograms for the previously stated reason and we are taking a “No Excuses” attitude and bringing mammography right to them.

Since mobile mammography started doing mammograms in January of 2004 we have made great strides. We have seen over 1,000 people on the coach and we have detected 3 cancers. NCMMS has instituted an aggressive marketing campaign including television and radio mediums. Mobile mammography staff are trained to do breast health education including the proper way to perform a self breast exam. We are marketing the education program to schools, community groups and businesses.

NCMMS is in partnership with Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Massena Memorial Hospital, Clifton-Fine Hospital and Healthy Living Partnership of St. Lawrence and Northern Franklin Counties. Funding for this program has been provided by The New York State Department of Health, The New York State Department of Health and Human Services, The Fannie E. Rippel Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, Central New York Affiliate, and the Alcoa Foundation.

You can reach Jackie with Mobile Mammography at (315) 261-5935, toll free at 1-877-MAMMO -2 –GO (1-877-626-6624) or by e-mail at jdow@cphospital.org.

When she first learned of her grandmother's fight with breast cancer, Jackie Dow did not know of the difference she would one day make in the lives of women facing similar battles. Now with North Country Mobile Mammography, Dow works daily to help women like her grandmother detect early signs of breast cancer, a preventative method that personifies their popular slogan "Early detection saves lives I've always been in the helping business, so it's only natural that I'm here," she said.

North Country Mobile Mammography is a unit designed to increase the ability for women to receive mammograms in the St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, the goal being to target women who are not having mammograms due to reasons which can include having little or no insurance. According to Dow, women are often hesitant to have a mammogram simply because they are unfamiliar. "I think that people, for whatever reason, will think of any excuse not to have a mammogram done." Some women perpetuate the idea that the 20-minute procedure is inconvenient, while others shy away for fear they will get bad news. Still, said Dow, the truth of the matter is that there is no excuse good enough to avoid having a mammogram. "The only way to avoid breast cancer is to prevent it as early as possible. It doesn't hurt, and it could save your life." Essentially, Mobile Mammography is a custom-designed van featuring the latest in mammography equipment, including the Women's Touch Mammopad to cushion the equipment and help eliminate discomfort, and is designed with patient comfort, privacy, and confidentiality in mind. The mammograms are conducted by trained technicians through coordinated area hospitals, and are the same high quality as those performed in area hospitals. Despite traveling through all of St. Lawrence County, Dow agrees that Mobile Mammography in the North Country still does not receive the traffic deserved of such a helpful program. It has, though, conducted over a thousand mammograms in the five years since its activation and helped many women in their fight to stay healthy.

Three women diagnosed with breast cancer might have remained unaware of the problem had they not been screened by North Country Mobile Mammography. "Those were all women without insurance," said Dow, pointing out Mobile Mammography's important role in the lives of many women today. In it's many locations across St. Lawrence County, parked outside libraries, clinics, or firehouses, the Mobile Mammography van becomes a haven for women not quite ready to step into the doctor's office. "We had one woman say she never would have had a mammogram if we weren't parked there," said Dow. "And her mother had breast cancer." The American Cancer Society recommends that women have their first mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40 and a mammogram every year after age 40. To make an appointment with North Country Mobile Mammography, or merely ask questions, call 315-261-5935, or 1-877-626-6624. Walk-ins at the van are always welcome.

Canton-Potsdam Hospital
Since December 1999 we have received a total of $54,563 from the EI Moses Walk/Run, not including the separate grants made to North Country Mobile Mammography in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, we had $4,000 “left over” from our 2006 award. We had initially requested funds for Prostate Education and Cancer Caregivers Events, both of which were postponed from 2006 to spring of 2007. Unfortunately, neither of these events occurred, because our Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Sun Liauw, retired, and our Administrator, John Montville, took a position elsewhere. Because the Cancer Center was in transition, staff felt they could not take on additional projects, so they utilized the $4,000 for their annual Cancer Survivors’ Day events, including guest speakers, a meal, publicity, etc….

Our 2007 request included three distinct projects: maintaining the CancerHelp Touchscreen Software for patient information in our education room at the Warner Cancer Treatment Center, continuing a free series of skin cancer screenings at our primary care clinics, and helping with rising gas costs for our patient-transport van. Here is our progress report on each project. Touchscreen Software: We spent our full $3,000 allocation to renew service of this educational software. Each year, this valuable resource is accessed by more than 50 cancer patients and their families or loved ones, to easily access comprehensive cancer information, research treatment options, and assist with decisions regarding their course of treatment. Our own staff members utilize the resource regularly. In addition, area students occasionally avail themselves of the software and other educational items in our resource center for school projects and research papers. Skin Cancer Screenings: This continues to be a very popular event. Four free screenings were held between June and September of this year; two in Norfolk, and two in Potsdam. We had 62 attendees, 17 of those were then referred to area surgeons or dermatologist Dr. Jay Schechter for follow-up. Our total expenses for the year were $4,217, which included promotion, reference materials, paying the clinicians to offer the screenings (all screenings were held when our clinics were not open for regular business), and paying for follow-up care for those without medical insurance.  Gas for Patient-Transport Van: Our $7,000 award was spent on the first two projects, so we did not have funds available toward gas expenses. We travel more than 40,000 per year, and regret that we did not have funds to help offset our gas expense.