Screening and Health Promotion

Did you know?...

• When caught early through regular screening, colorectal cancer is 90% curable.
• Breast Screening Saves Lives!  Between 1989 and 2005, Breast Cancer mortality rates in Ontario women aged 50-69 decreased by 35% due to improved cancer treatments and increased participation in breast screening.
• Cervical cancer is preventable. Yet year after year, about 500 women are diagnosed with cancer of the cervix, and about 150 women die from this disease in Ontario.  Furthermore, up to 60,000 women each year learn that they have abnormal Pap tests that require assessment and/or treatment.
• Vaccines are a safe and effective way to give children immunity against a number of potentially serious diseases.  Vaccines are among the safest tools of modern medicine.

What is Screening?

Screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers saves lives.  Screening is done on people who do not have any cancer symptoms (or who are asymptomatic).  The purpose of cancer screening is to detect pre-cancerous changes, or cancer at an early stage.

The Screening & Health Promotion Program at the GBFHT works with Family Physicians to ensure that early detection and prevention is occurring at an optimum level for their patients.

Through assessment of patient records, a Registered Nurse (RN) determines if the appropriate screening procedures have occurred in the target population.

The GBFHT assists in screening for the basic 4 preventative care categories:

• Mammograms;
• Pap (PAPANICOLAOU) tests;
• Influenza vaccinations;
• Immunizations for children under the age of 2; and,
• Colorectal screening.

Other screening options continue to be developed on an ongoing basis.

Stay Healthy... early detection saves lives!