436th MDG partners with community for breast cancer awareness month

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  October was Breast Cancer Awareness month and through the Public-Public; Public-Private, or P4 Partnership, the 436th Medical Group teamed up with the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition and Bayhealth Kent General to spread the message of breast cancer awareness and women's overall health.

The 436th MDG hosted multiple events to spread awareness and go "Pink" for the month. A morale tee shirt contest was held and Capt. Matthew Pastewait, 436th Dental Squadron dentist, designed the winning shirt. Half the money raised was put into the 436th MDG's booster club and $731 was donated to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer charity through the Combined Federal Campaign. A survivor's tree was also set up at the entrance of the 436th MDG Clinic where names could be written on cards and pinned to the tree to honor survivors and individuals who lost their fight to breast cancer.

"This is a tragic disease," said Maj. Chennel Johnson, 436th MDG healthcare integrator. "It's very emotional for people if they know someone that has passed away or if they themselves are a survivor of this disease. I think sometimes people think they can't express emotions, especially us in uniform, and this gives us an opportunity to say it's OK."

A pink pumpkin contest was held and each squadron within the medical group decorated and painted their pumpkin to reflect the breast cancer awareness theme. The pumpkins were judged by the four breast cancer survivors that work within the 436th MDG.

"The beauty in fighting this disease has come out in these pumpkin displays," said Jennifer Freeman, 436th Aerospace Medicine Squadron ophthalmic technician and breast cancer survivor. "I feel like this event has allowed everybody to be creative and has heightened the comradery here in the support of breast cancer awareness."

The month culminated with the Woman's Health Event, a P4 community partnership event to bring off-base agencies into the 436th MDG Clinic and interact with the Dover AFB community. The DBCC and Bayhealth Kent County offered services such as breast exams, walk-in pap smears, facial skin cancer screenings and a wide variety of other services. The DBCC mobile mammography van was also available for attendees to tour and fill out surveys about future uses.

"As the medical group commander, I just have a passion for health care," said Kathryn Weiss, 436th MDG commander. "When I joined the P4 partnership meetings, I started collaborating with the Delaware Breast Cancer Collation and I thought what an awesome way to build some partnerships and have the DBCC bring their mobile mammogram van to the base to allow for easier access for our beneficiaries."

Although the DBCC did not offer on-site mammograms during the event, interested women could schedule future appointments for the next time the van will be on base. Cheryl Doucette, DBCC program director for education and outreach, said after attending the P4 partnership meetings, they decided bringing their mobile mammography van to Dover AFB could build a lasting partnership and offer many benefits to military beneficiaries.

"I think one of the major benefits for the base is we make it easier for women to access healthcare and have easier access to a mammogram," said Doucette. "Anytime you make access easier, you increase compliance. So we definitely want women getting screened and getting their mammograms yearly, so if we make it easy for them I think we will see that compliance factor go up."

The surveys conducted at the event saw positive replies for beneficiaries interested in using the mobile van at Dover AFB. Doucette said it is a great way for the local community to interact with base residents and showcase some resources offered by the DBCC.

"I want to make sure that any woman diagnosed with breast cancer or currently in treatment can access us for help," said Doucette. "For us, it builds a bridge with the residents on base because we do a lot of things in the community and have a lot of services that I think people that are stationed here are not familiar with so they are missing out on a lot of resources to get help with breast cancer."