October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This is the month you start to see a lot of pink; pink shoes, pink ribbons, pink hats and shirts with pink ribbons embossed into the fabric. No matter how commercialized the message has become please use these subtle reminders as inspiration.  Be inspired to spread the message of breast cancer awareness and early prevention within your organization. There are many ways you can promote and incentivize these cancer screenings.

Promote prevention:

  • Encourage employees to wear pink for awareness. Have a competition for the best pink outfit.
  • Have pink promotional materials available for the employees to wear- pink boas, ribbons, bracelets, shirts, hats, ties, etc.
  • Offer PTO for doctor’s appointments or screenings.
  • Celebrate survivors and their stories.
  • Host a lunch and learn about breast cancer detection, screenings, prevention, and advocacy.
  • Educate your employees on the participating providers and facilities in their area where they can go for well women exams, mammograms, ultrasounds, etc.
  • Distribute educational materials about self-exams and age appropriate screenings.
  • Incentivize employees for completing an age appropriate screening.
  • Post a link to a CDC podcast on your intranet about Breast Cancer.

Another factor that could affect your employees is the stress, either the stress of being a cancer patient or the stress of caring for a family member that is a cancer patient. These employees may benefit from resources that they do not know about.

Promote support and comfort:

  • Promote your EAP.
  • Find services that can assist with them; for example carrier resources, community resources, or advocacy groups.
  • American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recover program helps people and caregivers cope with a breast cancer diagnosis.
  • Offer a quiet room for them to go during breaks or lunches.

Many workplace toolkits that can assist with promotion and education are available through your carrier, Susan G Komen workplace website, CDC resources, and American Cancer Society. If you need further assistance with a cancer prevention program, please contact me at tblocker@w3ins.com.