The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation:
The Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation (MCHFoundation) is partnering with Adventist Health Mendocino Coast and Soroptimist International of Noyo Sunrise to remind women in the community to prioritize their breast health. Throughout the month of October, patients receiving a 3D mammogram at Adventist Health will be gifted a pink rose to take home through the Roses for Mammograms program.
Approximately 13% of women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Thanks to the generosity of donors and community partners, MCHFoundation recently invested in a new 3D Mammography machine for Adventist Health to ensure easy access to this lifesaving test for the coastal community. The state-of-the-art equipment—not typically found in rural healthcare settings—can take X-rays from many angles to better detect breast abnormalities.
After the machine’s installation, MCHFoundation spoke with a private donor who wished to encourage as many women as possible to receive their 3D mammograms. This donor’s gift to MCHFoundation will directly support the Roses for Mammograms initiative led by Soroptimist International of Noyo Sunrise, which gives roses to local mammogram patients during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The pink rose symbolizes the importance of early detection and preventive care, and is intended to inspire others to schedule tests as well.
Support for the 3D Mammography machine and Roses for Mammograms is part of MCHFoundation’s broader commitment to advanced imaging for Mendocino coastal residents, which is also the focus of the organization’s Greatest Needs campaign this year. With an ambitious $500,000 fundraising goal, the Foundation is working hard to meet the imaging needs of the community—with sights set on adding a new MRI machine to provide top-notch diagnostics locally.
“Our mission is to keep patients as close to home as possible for their care,” says Mary Kate McKenna, CFRE, Executive Director of MCHFoundation. “Through the funding and installation of the 3D Mammography machine—and now with our MRI project in 2022—people in our community will be able to access the same high-quality services found inland, without the need to travel. We are so grateful to our philanthropic partners for helping to make this equipment available, and for raising awareness of its lifesaving capabilities.”
For more information on supporting advanced imaging through MCHFoundation, visit mchfoundation.org. To schedule a mammogram with Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, call the Medical Imaging Department at 707-961-4665.
