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Clay County proclaims October Breast Cancer Awareness Month; mobile mammography coach to visit Oct. 20
Summary
The Clay County Commission read and signed a resolution designating October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Dr. Linda Harrison of Diagnostic Imaging Centers urged annual screening beginning at age 40 and noted a mobile mammography coach will be at the county October 20.
An honorary resolution recognizing October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was presented to Diagnostic Imaging Centers during the Clay County Commission meeting. The resolution, read by county staff, exhorts residents to support early detection and screening.
Dr. Linda Harrison, introduced as the president of Diagnostic Imaging Centers, thanked the commission and described the organization's mobile mammography coach. “If you are female and over the age of 40, we recommend screening every year,” Dr. Harrison said, citing American College of Radiology guidance and urging annual screening for average-risk women. She told commissioners the mobile mammography coach visits county workplaces, churches, fairs, underserved areas and jails and will be in the county on Oct. 20 to serve employees and residents.
Why this matters: Dr. Harrison said early detection saves lives and cited a commonly used lifetime risk statistic read at the meeting—about 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer—and noted more than 50,000 women may die from the disease this year, as stated in the presentation.
Commissioners reflected on access and insurance coverage. Commissioner Carpenter recalled a change made in 2020 at the state level that he said required insurers to cover preventive screenings for women deemed above-average risk even at age 40. "We got that changed such that now, if you are deemed above average risk, even if you're 40, insurance has to cover preventative screenings," Carpenter said.
Commissioner Johnson and others thanked the presenters and noted the county arrangement to host the mobile mammography coach for county employees. Dr. Harrison said women with family history should have a risk assessment beginning in their 20s and that supplemental screening such as ultrasound or MRI may be recommended for some patients.
The resolution was presented as a ceremonial item and signed by commission members; no separate ordinance or statute citation was recorded in the meeting transcript.
