Did you know that breast cancer in the United States is the most common cancer in women, except for skin cancers (CDC, 2018)? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to honor and support the 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the United States (American Cancer Society, 2018). Looking to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month but don’t know where to start? The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center has you covered with lots of tools and resources to plan your outreach and activities.
Our Breast Cancer Awareness Month Social Media Toolkit can help you plan your organization’s social media strategy for October (and beyond). The toolkit contains:
- Practical steps for getting started with social media
- Evidence-based strategies for communicating about breast cancer with different audiences
- Sample Tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn posts to use throughout the month or tailor for your unique audience
- Innovative strategies for using other social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat or Reddit to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Additional tools and resources to support your activities
The Health Equity Toolbox: Resources to Foster Cultural Sensitivity and Equitable Care for All features resources to promote health equity and culturally sensitive care. It’s designed to help stakeholders share health education resources for diverse populations and highlights many breast cancer resources. You can also find additional breast cancer resources through the searchable repository on our Cancer Control Technical Assistance Portal (TAP).
Interested in clinical follow-up care for breast cancer survivors? Check out the Cancer Survivorship E-Learning Series for Primary Care Providers, which offers a module specifically about breast cancer and covers the American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Survivorship Care Guideline. The companion National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center Toolkit and slides can assist providers in implementing clinical practice guidelines for cancer survivorship care, and also specifically cover breast cancer. Patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer can use this helpful checklist to ask their provider about long-term and late side effects associated with treatment.
For patients in the Washington, D.C. area, the GW Cancer Center offers high quality, multi-disciplinary breast care services for the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer using state-of-the-art technologies unavailable at any other breasts center in the D.C. metro area. Staffed by nationally and internationally renowned physicians and surgeons, we offer quality medical care along with advanced imaging and diagnostic technology. Learn more about our innovative program and make an appointment today.
We also offer life-saving early detection services for breast cancer through the Mammovan, a mobile mammography program accessible to underserved women across the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region. The Mammovan provides screening services where women live and work, without regard to ability to pay. Learn more about the Mammovan and how you can support its critical work at the upcoming Blush Lunch on October 17. Tickets are going fast so be sure to register today!
References
American Cancer Society. (2018). How Common is Breast Cancer? Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Breast Cancer Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/
