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Council proclaims October Breast Cancer Awareness Month; providers note improved outcomes with early detection
Summary
Council adopted a proclamation recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month. BayCare physician Dr. Peter Blumenkrantz told the council that screening and earlier treatment have improved outcomes and announced a new high-risk assessment program to identify people for earlier screening.
The council proclaimed October 2025 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and heard from medical representatives about ongoing screening work and a new high-risk assessment program.
Chair Copley Gerdes read the proclamation and invited medical leaders from BayCare/Morton Plant and Bayfront Health. Dr. Peter Blumenkrantz, a surgical oncologist, told the council that detection and treatment advances have reduced mortality and described a new high‑risk assessment tool (CancerIQ) that the hospital system will use to identify individuals at increased risk for cancers — including breast cancer — so they can be screened earlier.
Councilmember Mike Harding and others thanked medical staff and councilmember Gerdes offered a personal tribute to his wife, a breast-cancer survivor, while encouraging continued investment in screening and access for uninsured and low-income residents. The Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) and the Pinellas County Department of Health were cited as partners in providing mammography and cervical‑cancer screening for eligible women.
No funding or ordinance changes were proposed at the meeting; the presentation was primarily ceremonial and informational.
