Breast health campaign wraps up in Manitouwadge

by Karina Hunter

Marla Piche,MJ's Hair Salon, wore pink every Thursday to remind clients of the campaign.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Styling for Life the breast health campaign  partnered by Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Northwestern Health Unit, Regional Cancer Care and area salons, wrapped up last week.  In Manitouwadge, Carol’s Mobile Haircare, MJ’s Hair Salon and Shear Talent Hair Salon each participated and are eager to hear if one of their clients has won one of the three $100 gift certificates which were available as part of the Styling for Life campaign.  Women 50 years and over mentioning the Styling for Life campaign when booking their breast screening appointment during the month of October 2009 had their name entered into one of the draws.

In Northwestern Ontario, only half of all eligible women are screened regularly for breast cancer however with the involvement of area hair salons throughout October the Regional Cancer Care Centre and Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) and Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) partnered to challenge that number as the Styling for Life campaign reached out to women, age 50+, at more than 70 salons throughout the region building on the special relationship between stylists and their clients. TBDHU and NWHU provided participating salons with simple facts about breast health and fun promotional items from Regional Cancer Care such as lip glosses printed with the Breast Screening Program’s toll free number, 1-800-461-7031, and Styling for Life decals for the stylists’ mirrors which sparked questions and conversations related to breast health.  Marla Piche, stylist at MJ’S Hair Salon who wore pink each Thursday to remind clients of the campaign, said that “The free lip glosses were a great tool as they initiated easy and open conversation with our 50+ clients about the importance of breast screening” she added that “It was great to learn how many of these women were already having breast screening on a regular basis”. New this year, the Cancer Society provided TBDHU with a Thingamaboob keychain for each of the salons that stylists used to explain the importance of early detection.

TBDHU Manitouwadge Branch Public Health Nurse, Jackie Jung, RN, was the campaign’s Northeast representative and was also involved in organizing the other Branches – Marathon, Terrace Bay/Schreiber, Nipigon and Geraldton/Longlac.  She offered the opportunity to Public Health Nurses from those communities to be involved in the project and was thrilled when they agreed, bringing salons from their communities onboard. Jung was very pleased with how well the campaign had been received and looked forward to 2010 with enthusiasm “It is a wonderful promotion. Thank you to participating salons for doing a great job of getting the message of breast screening out to their clients”.

Submitted to The Echo, 11.01.09