For the third consecutive year, St. Tammany Hospital Foundation’s United in Pink campaign is hitting the streets to raise awareness of the importance of breast screenings and to raise money for Northshore cancer care – but with a notable addition this year.
The campaign will still see the Be Well Bus crisscrossing the parish and offering mammograms at dozens of community events.
It will also still feature a pink-wrapped St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office cruiser that people can sign for a $5 donation.
And there will still be a raft of local “Pink Partners” hosting give-back events through October, including Timeless Touch Medical Aesthetics, Sunshine Coffee, the Southern Hotel, Chick-fil-A and others.
But unlike previous years, the 2023 campaign will include a focus on the importance of lung cancer screenings, which are quick, painless and – just like mammograms – can make a major difference by catching tumors early.
“Technically, November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and we’ll be observing it as always with our newly branded United in Pearl campaign,” St. Tammany Health System Lung Screening Coordinator Megan Broussard said. “But a lot of people don’t realize that lung cancer is quickly becoming a women’s disease, so we decided to double down on our efforts by offering lung cancer assessments and education as part of our United in Pink efforts, too.”
According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer diagnoses have risen a startling 84% among women over the past 42 years while dropping 36% among men. Although men still make up the majority of lung cancer diagnoses, the gender gap is narrowing.
“Honestly, this was already shaping up to be our biggest and best United in Pink campaign yet,” the foundation’s Kathleen Thomas said. “The addition of lung cancer awareness efforts just makes it that much more so.”
Other United in Pink events include a Ladies Night health screening event sponsored by McDaniel Dermatology on Oct. 6 at the Covington Beer Garden, screening stops at local St. Tammany Physicians Network clinics, and participation in the annual Bras for a Cause fundraiser on Oct. 19.
United in Pearl will follow that up with a 1-mile community walk at Fontainebleau State Park on Nov. 4.
“Screenings save lives, simple as that,” Thomas said. “And through both United in Pink and United in Pearl, we are determined to make a difference.”
Learn more about United in Pink, including how your business can become a Pink Partner, at StTammanyUnited.org.