ALTA BATES: Launches Breast Cancer Education Program for the Disabled
A new breast cancer program at Alta Bates Medical Center hopes to educate disabled seniors and minority women about the disease and its detection, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Florita Maiki, manager for the hospital's Health Access for Women with Disabilities (BHAWD) breast cancer screening program, explained that disabled women in wheelchairs usually require a special team of lifters to undergo a mammogram because they are unable to position themselves on standard examining tables. They also need assistance at the imaging machines. Disabled women may also require education and training in self-exams, as they may be physically unable to complete a thorough inspection. Funded by a $400,000 grant from the California Endowment Fund, the new breast cancer project will be incorporated into BHAWD, and will help the hospital reach an additional 800 women in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. From 1991 to 1995, breast cancer affected 4,661 people in Alameda County. About 142,000 women in Alameda and Contra Costa counties have physical disabilities requiring special assistance with daily living, 19,000 of whom use wheelchairs (Nhu, 3/1).
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