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Amate A Ti Misma in 2013
American Cancer Society and Univision 41 team with St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center and St. Michael's Medical Center to screen 400
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New York, NY – (February 19, 2013) It was a Valentine's Day to remember in the fight to end breast cancer. The American Cancer Society and Univision, the nation's leading Spanish-language network, celebrated another highly successful year in the 7th annual Amate a Ti Misma/Love Yourself breast cancer awareness campaign.
For the first time, the annual screening events all took place in New Jersey and the community responded with a more than 400% increase in appointments from last year. St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson and St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark hosted this year's Valentine's Day program.
The American Cancer Society reported the campaign had a significant impact on the number of calls it typically receives as more than 1100 calls were handled by the Society's Spanish-language team during the two-week campaign period. Between the two hospitals, close to 400 appointments were scheduled for women to receive their mammograms between the two hospitals. The hospitals were able to accommodate the overflow of requests by scheduling all other appointments throughout the upcoming months. In addition, women from around the tri-state area who could not make it to the screening event were offered appointments at other sites in New Jersey and new York, respectively.
The "Amate a ti Misma" (Love Yourself) breast cancer campaign launched in 2007 by WXTV Univision 41, the New York area’s premier Spanish-language television station, brings together the American Cancer Society and area hospitals in order to bring this life saving message in February during the “month of love,” to encourage women to love themselves and get this life saving screening. In the past seven year more than 8,000 women have been able to receive free mammograms.
“Taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do for your family, said Dr. Alvaro Carrascal, vice president of cancer control for the American Cancer Society. “We want Latinas to take charge of their health. It is a commitment to the wellbeing of the Hispanic community, because early detection of cancer can save thousands of lives.”
An estimated 17,100 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in Latina women this year. Mammography is currently the best screening test available for the early detection of breast cancer. American Cancer Society guidelines recommend that all women should have their yearly mammogram beginning at age 40.
Free mammograms for uninsured women are provided year round at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center and Saint Michael’s Medical Center and other facilities across the metro area through grants from the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) program. For information on breast cancer screening guidelines, or if you have been diagnosed and need assistance, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org
Additional Resources
American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Facts & Figures
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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
About Univision Communications Inc.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 96% of U.S. Hispanic households; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 88% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, as well as Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to novelas, Univision Deportes Network, a 24-hour cable network dedicated to sports, ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to news, and an additional suite of six cable offerings - De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Clásico TV; UVideos, the first bilingual digital network serving Hispanic America; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Hispanic radio group which owns and/or operates 69 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive, a network of products and offerings including Univision.com, which continues to be the #1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit Univision.net.
About St. Joseph’s Healthcare System
St. Joseph’s Healthcare System (SJHS) is a nationally-recognized leading edge multi-hospital organization founded in 1867 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. The state’s second largest provider of charity care, SJHS encompasses St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, an academic tertiary medical center and state-designated trauma center which includes St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, a comprehensive specialized state-designated children’s hospital in Paterson, NJ; St. Joseph’s Wayne Hospital, an acute care community hospital and division of St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Wayne, NJ; St. Vincent’s Nursing Home, a long-term skilled nursing home in Cedar Grove, NJ; and Visiting Health Services of NJ based in Totowa; and ambulatory sites located across northern New Jersey. For more information about St. Joseph’s leading edge programs and services, visit StJosephsHealth.org or call 877.757.SJHS (7547).
About Saint Michael’s Medical Center
Established by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1867, Saint Michael’s Medical Center is a 357-bed regional tertiary-care, teaching, and research center in the heart of Newark’s business and educational district. Saint Michael’s Medical Center is a member of Catholic Health East, which includes 35 acute care hospitals, four long-term acute care hospitals, 26 freestanding and hospital-based long-term care facilities, 12 assisted-living facilities, four continuing care retirement communities, eight behavioral health and rehabilitation facilities, 31 home health/hospice agencies and numerous ambulatory and community-based health services. Catholic Health East facilities employ more than 60,000 full-time employees as partners in ministry. Catholic Health East is the largest not-for-profit provider of home healthcare services—ranked by number of visits—in the nation, as well as the nation’s leading provider of PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) based on the number of programs.
Based in Newtown Square, Pa., Catholic Health East is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, with 34 hospitals in 11 states. More information is available at http://smmcnj.org/.