Free or Low-Cost Mammograms Offered Dec. 10 in Desha County, Thanks to UAMS Witness Project

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – Free or low-cost mammograms are available to Desha County women 40 and older who qualify through The Witness Project, a community-based cancer education program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Public Health.


 


Women in Desha County who wish to receive a mammogram should call (800) 275-1183 by Dec. 5 to see if they qualify. Preregistration is strongly encouraged, however walk-ins are accepted.


 


The mobile mammography unit will be at the McGehee Chapel M.B. Church, 307 Church St., from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dec. 10. Health care professionals from St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Center in Hot Springs will perform the mammograms.


 


The Witness Project promotes cancer awareness among African-American women and medically underserved women. African-American women who are breast or cervical cancer survivors serve as role models and “witness” at churches and civic groups about their triumphs over cancer. Through this program, more women – particularly in the rural parts of Arkansas – are becoming better informed about early detection in the fight against breast and cervical cancer.


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.3 billion a year.


 


UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.