We are excited to kick off a new weekly feature we are calling Peak of the Week. Each week we will share with you the best parts of our week here at VBCF.
The past seven days have been busy for us. On Saturday, April 13 we partnered the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia to offer a breast health education program for Scouts grades 9-12 to earn their Women’s Health badge.
We hosted 9 girls and taught them about breast health, breast cancer myths, and how to advocate for themselves and others when it comes to their health.
This is an important audience for us because educating younger women and girls about their breast health can set them up to be more informed and effective advocates for their own health in the future. Breast cancer may not be on their radar now, but they will remember at least some of what they learned with us and be able to use that information to check in with family and friends. They also have a better chance of beginning healthier habits now that could potentially prevent future disease.
Now that we have developed this curriculum we would love to expand our reach! If you know a Girl Scout in this age group, we’d love to connect with troop leaders across Virginia about our program. To learn more, please contact Erin Steigleder, Education Manager, at erin@vbcf.org.
On Thursday, April 18 we took part in an LGBTQ Health Conference for Providers. This conference was the culmination of 6 months of planning with national, state, and local organizations: the American Cancer Society – Central Virginia, the Cancer Action Coalition of Virginia, Diversity Richmond, Massey Cancer Center, the National LGBT Cancer Network, the Virginia Department of Health and the Women of Essence Breast Cancer Support Group.
Talking to providers about the challenges that LGBTQ patients face when seeking health care is a dire need. Many LGBTQ patients report having negative medical experiences in the past, which can lead to them delaying or not seeking medical care at all in the future.
If we can give providers the tools and education they need in order to provide more affirming care to all of their patients, we can begin to address the breast cancer health disparities that exist in the LGBTQ population.
Attendees left the conference eager to bring what they learned back to their health systems and workplaces, and many requested that this be an annual event. We were excited to help educate providers so they can better serve their patients and hope to continue this important outreach in the future.
