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Portland proclaims October Breast Cancer Awareness Month after youth advocate panel urges screenings and access
Summary
City council marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a youth-led panel, medical and nonprofit speakers who emphasized early detection, screening access and a new federal rule on breast density notifications.
Portland City Council on Oct. 22 received a pre‑gavel presentation marking October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and heard a brief youth‑led panel urging residents to get screened and to seek help if uninsured.
The panel was introduced by Councilor Jamie Dunphy and included high school student Nikhil Surya, Alexandra Zimmer of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, volunteer Missy Kalunky of the American Cancer Society and Susan Stern, CEO of the Pink Lemonade Project. Mayor Keith Wilson’s proclamation declaring October 2025 Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Portland was read to the council.
The presenters focused on early detection and access. “Schedule your screenings, ask questions, and spread the word,” said Nikhil Surya, a sophomore who described how an MRI after a mammogram identified cancer that the mammogram had missed. Dr. Alexandra Zimmer, identified as a breast cancer program director at the Knight Cancer Institute, emphasized screening and treatment access, noting mammogram recommendations beginning at age 40 for most patients and risk assessments at age 25.
Speakers described local programs intended to reduce access barriers — evening and weekend hours at a breast imaging center, a mobile mammography van and the Knight Cancer Institute’s "Breast Health for All" program for uninsured or underinsured patients. Missy Kalunky of the American Cancer Society pointed people without insurance to the ACS hotline for help locating local resources. Susan Stern of the Pink Lemonade Project said screening rates dropped more than 10 percentage points in Oregon and Washington since the COVID‑19 pandemic and called awareness efforts “critical.”
Panelists also noted a forthcoming federal change: Surya said a new FDA rule taking effect in September 2025 will require mammography facilities to notify patients if they have dense breast tissue, which may prompt supplemental screening when appropriate.
The proclamation highlighted disparities in outcomes and urged residents to participate in screening and support activities. No formal council action or vote on the proclamation was recorded; the presentation concluded before the council convened its regular agenda.
