(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — To recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a West Side hospital is working to improve access to mammograms for area residents.
In the United States, about one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in her life.
Mary Rinder said this month, Loretto Hospital is trying to do something about that.
"We are offering the free mammography services to any woman who resides in the Austin community or Berwyn or Cicero, our nearby suburbs, and any women who are uninsured or underinsured," Rinder said.
Rinder said Loretto is purposely targeting communities that are majority Black or brown.
"These are the women that are most likely to be negatively affected by breast cancer, and it's even more important for them to come in and have their mammogram."
She says the goal is to make accessing this potentially life-saving service easy and convenient.
"This is something that takes half hour, 40 minutes at the most, that can affect their life, for a positive outcome."
Breast screenings are recommended every year for women 40 and older.
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