Project Early Detection at the Hospital of St. Raphael

NEW HAVEN – The Women’s Center for Breast Health at the Hospital of St. Raphael recently held the hospital’s first event as part of Project Early Detection, an effort to offer free breast exams and mammograms to uninsured and underinsured women, according to a statement.
St. Raphael clinicians screened 29 women and four of them were referred for follow-up visits, the statement said.

The St. Raphael’s screening enrolled women 40 and older who were eligible for the Connecticut Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the statement said. "Project Early Detection, funded through a grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Connecticut, aims to supplement the state’s effort by offering screenings to eligible women who come to the hospital for other reasons," the statement said.

"More than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. It’s the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Doctors believe early detection tests save thousands of lives each year, and many more lives could be saved if more women took advantage of these tests," the statement said.

For more information about Project Early Detection at the Saint Raphael’s Women’s Center for Breast Health, visit www.srhs.org/earlydetectionprogram

In the photo: Medical Assistant Jenelle Stout takes the blood pressure of patient Claudia Rivera at the first Project Early Detection screening at St. Raphael’s on Feb. 10.