Breast Cancer Update
The importance of detection, prevention, and education in the LGBT community
I scheduled my yearly mammogram today.
When I make these types of appointments, I am reminded of my dear friend, Nina Finnell, who lost her battle to breast cancer in the late 1990s. She and her partner navigated a healthcare system in which Nina felt invisible as a lesbian. Her partner, as her caregiver, was also left unsure how to help in a system that didn’t see them as a couple.
She admitted to me that she had never had a mammogram until she noticed something was wrong, and by that time, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. So much has changed in recent years for the LGBT community in our ability to be seen, cared for with compassion, and have a voice to be ourselves in the healthcare system. We still have a long way to go, as we each feel we have to go through the coming out process all over again, and we look for those who reassure us we will be accepted and treated with respect in the healthcare system.
The American Cancer Society has found that “lesbians and bisexual women have higher rates of breast cancer than heterosexual women.” (m.cancer.org) They also have fewer routine health care screening tests than other women, for issues including, but not limited to colon, breast, and cervical cancer.”
Some of the reasons for this include:
Low rates of health insurance: Many health insurance policies don’t cover unmarried LGBT partners. This makes it harder for many lesbians and bisexual women to get quality health care. Many states now offer family health insurance plans that may help you get coverage in other ways.
Fear of discrimination: Many women don’t tell their health care providers about their sexual orientation, because they don’t want discrimination to affect the quality of health care they receive. This can make it harder to have a comfortable relationship with a provider. A lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual (LGBT) community center or group may be able to refer you to LGBT-friendly health care providers.
Negative experiences with health care providers: Fear of having a negative experience with a health care provider can lead some women to delay or avoid medical care, especially routine care such as early detection tests. Missing routine cancer screening tests can lead to cancer being diagnosed at a later stage, when it’s harder to treat.
As a staff member at the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, I am proud we have led the way in spending for the last 25 years and we have worked tirelessly to remove the barriers to preventative health screenings and cancer care for the LGBT community, and to make women’s health care a priority. We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with CAMP Rehoboth and hope to do more as we strengthen our community ties with the men and women of Sussex county.
On June 21, 2016, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition was proud to unveil our newly updated mobile mammography van. With the latest in digital imaging equipment, and health professionals from Beebe Medical Center, the van brings mammography services to locations throughout the state convenient to the women who need them.
The State of Delaware, in collaboration with Women’s Mobile Health Screening, LLC,(WMHS) a subsidiary of the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, provides mobile mammography services to low income, uninsured, and women through the Screening for Life (SFL) program.
The Delaware Department of Public Health has stated that African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer. Similarly, they say women with a disability or members of the LGBT community are less likely to get a mammogram.
The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition will be able to provide cervical screenings, pap tests, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose screenings. It will be a women’s health screening van on wheels with staff that are culturally trained to provide a safe environment. We also have bilingual interpreters as well. It is a program that my friend Nina could have used, without fear, to feel she had a place to go yearly for a routine mammogram.
DBCC’s Executive Director, Vicky Cooke, herself a two-time breast cancer survivor adds, “Until we have ended this disease and we know what causes it and we know what causes metastasis, what we do is so important,” she said. “We don’t want to take steps back; we don’t want to be complacent.” Cooke says it is about serving everyone, especially the underserved populations of Delaware, and especially the LGBT community.
DBCC is proud of its continued partnership with CAMP Rehoboth, and together we hope to do more. If you, or someone you love, need mammogram or support services, please call DBCC at 302-778-1102 x1020. For a complete list of services for support, please visit debreastcancer.org.
I urge you to join me in getting your yearly mammogram. By being seen in the healthcare community, and by sharing our stories, we give people like Nina a voice. And together with the memory of those we have lost to cancer, we will continue to open doors for LGTB generations to follow.
Christina L. Richter is the Vice President of Development, DBCC, and she and her partner, Laura Cort, reside in Lewes and are members of CAMP Rehoboth.