Ozarks Healthcare’s Foundation will officially launch its new fundraising initiative for a mobile mammography unit in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month this Friday, Oct. 1, with the help of several local businesses. The Foundation’s goal is to raise funds to purchase a mobile mammography unit in 2022 to help make routine screenings more accessible for women who might not otherwise have access to this service.
Multiple businesses across Ozarks Healthcare’s eight-county service area have committed to donate a portion of their proceeds to the campaign. Businesses who are participating in the campaign this Friday include:
Wood’s Riverbend Restaurant in Mammoth Spring, AR
Fish Shack in West Plains
Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply in West Plains
Colton’s Steak House & Grill in West Plains
Antler Package and Pizza in Gainesville
Community members who are looking for a way to support the campaign are encouraged to visit these businesses this Friday.
“We are very appreciative of the support and interest in participating in our campaign from local businesses,” Josh Reeves, Vice President of Development at Ozarks Healthcare, said. “Breast cancer is a disease that has affected our friends and family in some way. To see our community coming together and supporting efforts to increase preventive care is extremely encouraging.”
A truck raffle, mum sale and pumpkin-painting party, and more will be hosted by the Foundation through the month of October. Special-designed t-shirts are also being sold, with all proceeds benefiting the campaign. To order, visit the campaign’s online t-shirt store at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/foundation/mobile-mammography-unit-campaign/. More details about the fundraising campaign will be announced soon. Please also keep watching the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation Facebook page for more information.
The Ozarks Healthcare Foundation is seeking pledges and donations from individuals, businesses, and other organizations. Any business or organization interested in making a donation is asked to please call the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation at 417-853-5200 or contact Reeves directly at j.reeves@ozhcare.com. Individual donations can be collected online at https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/foundation/mobile-mammography-unit-campaign/.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. (some kinds of skin cancer are the most common). Finding breast cancer early reduces risk of death from the disease by 25-30% or more. Women should begin having mammograms yearly at age 40, or earlier if they’re at high risk. Annual mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most curable stages. Many women put off getting a mammogram due to inconvenience. Studies also show women who are underinsured or uninsured are 35 percent more likely to have a mammogram offered by a mobile mammography unit versus going to an outpatient setting.
The Ozarks Healthcare Foundation, established in 1998 as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with a local board of directors, serves as a liaison between donors and Ozarks Healthcare to assist the hospital in providing excellent healthcare to the communities it serves. For more information or to make a gift to the Ozarks Healthcare Foundation, please call 417-853-5200 or visit https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/support-us/foundation/.
