BCBSAZ Call-A-Thon Brings Attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) hosted their first Breast Cancer Awareness Call-A-Thon. Forty-eight BCBSAZ volunteers called more than 2,732 members between October 10-12, 2017, and raised awareness on the value of breast cancer screening and early prevention.

“Early detection is key to breast cancer awareness,” said Kate Buchta, BCBSAZ director, health services. “We want to let members know how important it is to schedule their mammogram and to remind their loved ones to do the same. The responses were so positive.”

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and BCBSAZ is bringing light to this national campaign. More than 249,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer every year, and nearly 41,000 die from the disease according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The three-day Call-A-Thon’s goal was to remind female members 50-to-70 years-old to schedule their mammogram. 

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that average-risk women who are 50-to-74 years-old should have a screening mammogram every two years.

Visit with your primary care provider (PCP) about scheduling a mammogram or get your breast cancer questions answered. You can also log in and use the Find a Doctor tool on azblue.com/member to locate a provider in your plan’s network.

More Facts from MobileOnsiteMammography.com

• Breast cancer is the leading form of cancer among women in Arizona. An estimated 2,800 women will be diagnosed and 600 women will die of breast cancer in Arizona this year.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women ages 40-to-59 years-old.
• More than 80 percent of breast cancer occur in women who have no known risk factors. All women are at risk; and one's risk increases with advancing age.

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