Women's Wellness: National Breast Cancer Foundation helps St. Joseph's serve the under served

(January 2016) – St. Joseph’s Foundation has received a $30,000 gift from the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to support the Women’s Wellness Center at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. This gift will provide free breast health care to women in need.

The St. Joseph’s Women’s Wellness Center was established in 1996 to provide low income and uninsured women with free breast cancer screening exams, mammograms and pap smears. With support from the NBCF approximately 1,000 women in Maricopa County will have access to clinical breast exams, screening and diagnostic mammograms, and breast ultrasounds.

The goal of the Women’s Wellness Center and the NBCF is to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services. In our state alone, more than 3,500 women and nearly 50 men are diagnosed annually with this deadly disease. More than 700 of those Arizonans die each year from this disease. By providing preventive services to women who are uninsured or cannot afford care, St. Joseph’s and the NBCF help to increase a woman’s chance of survival and decrease medical costs associated with advanced disease.

Over 120 years ago the Sisters of Mercy founded St. Joseph’s to help people in need. Today, that remains at the center of our mission and drives excellence in specialized care, medical education and research. St. Joseph’s includes the internationally renowned Barrow Neurological Institute, Norton Thoracic Institute, Center for Women’s Health, The University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph’s, and Level I Trauma Center.