sinai in the news
Fighting breast cancer in black women; Death rate here 68% higher than in whites
BYLINE: Jim Ritter, The Chicago Sun-Times
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 28
LENGTH: 462 words
Chicago's breast cancer death rate is 68 percent higher in black women than in white women. After a year of study, a big task force on Wednesday proposed 37 ways to narrow this racial gap, includ-ing free mammograms for the uninsured and racial sensitivity training for mammogram providers. The local health-care system "has failed to preserve the health of African-American women," said Donna Thompson, co-chair of the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force. The task force is an outgrowth of a study by Mount Sinai Hospital's Urban Health Institute that found a widening racial gap in breast cancer mortality. The group includes more than 100 doctors, nurses and other breast cancer experts. Some studies suggest African Americans are genetically predisposed to more aggressive forms of breast cancer. But the task force said a more likely explanation is that black women receive fewer mammograms -- and poorer quality mammograms. Also, blacks lack access to quality treatment.
The task force's proposals include:
- Free mammograms for all uninsured women. Gov. Blagojevich recently announced plans to expand the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program.
- For women with insurance, a ban on co-pays and deductibles for breast cancer screening and treat-ment.
- Increase Medicaid reimbursements to make mammogram centers more willing to serve poor women.
- Establish a single telephone hotline and Web site where women can find out where to get mammo-grams.
- Hire three breast cancer survivors to give talks to churches, beauty shops, etc.
- Fund sensitivity training for mammogram centers. At four town hall meetings, black women reported "rudeness and inappropriate behavior, including perceived or overt racism."
- Hospitals should report statistics on how well they screen for and treat breast cancer.
- Extra training on reading mammograms for general radiologists. White women are more likely to have their mammograms read by breast specialists, while black women are more likely to be served by general radiologists who generally aren't as skilled at detecting breast cancer. For a copy of the report, go to www.chicagobreastcancer.org or call (773) 257-5960.
'WE HAVE TO SOUND THE ALARM'
Quotes from black women attending town hall meetings:
- "We need more information . . . It has to be more friendly. None of that mumbo-jumbo."
- "Only one doctor in my life has told me to get a mammogram. They just don't think it's a priority for us."
- "I don't go to doctors. I just don't trust them. My uncle still talks about that Tuskegee mess."
- "There is no way to find a place to get a mammogram. Doctors won't even accept Medicaid any more."
- "There are no programs to help us. We have to sound the alarm among our sisters."
LOAD-DATE: October 18, 2007
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
GRAPHIC: Map: (See microfilm for graphic).;
DOCUMENT-TYPE: News
PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper
Copyright 2007 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. All Rights Reserved
