Early screening for breast cancer is essential for the treatment of women who are victims of this cancer, which most affects the female population in Brazil. In the whole of Paraíba, there are more than 300 thousand women of screening age (from 40 years old) and the number of mammograms performed is still far below that recommended by the WHO. The number of deaths from breast cancer, on the other hand, remains high as a result of several factors, the main one being the late discovery due to lack of access to detection and diagnosis examinations, although the quality of mammography examinations may also have a very negative impact on the detection of the disease, even if the woman has access to the examination.  

And it was thinking about the quality of mammography exams that in 2017 Américas Amigas began its activities in Paraíba. At the time, technicians from all public and philanthropic services of the state were invited to participate in a capacity building and training course in mammography, held in the Prevention Department of the Hospital de Amor de Barretos and with costs fully paid by Amigas Américas.

And with the success of this first endeavor, Americas Amigas started a partnership with the NGO Mulheres de Peito (Breast Women) from Campina Grande and started to donate mammography exams in the state.

Since then the joint project "Painting Paraíba in Pink" has grown and besides the donation of exams, the training of professionals was extended to basic health care, also benefiting community health agents, nurses and doctors.

In the year 2018 besides the donation of mammograms, ultrasounds and consultations the project also started to donate biopsy tests, anatomopathological, immunohistochemical and fish analyses.

With all this effort and support from health services such as IMAGO and the UCD Campina Grande the impact of the "Painting Paraíba Pink" project between 2017 and 2020 is already very expressive:

• donation of more than 400 consultations, 563 mammograms, 100 ultrasounds, 100 biopsies, 196 anatomopathological and 170 immunohistochemical analyses , training of 145 basic health care professionals

And now, we celebrate yet another achievement in the fight against breast cancer in Paraíba.

This week will be inaugurated the Women's Health Space of the Hospital Dr. Hercílio Rodrigues in the municipality of Areia. In addition to consultations and surgeries of benign nodules, women of Areia and neighbouring municipalities will have access to detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

The new service is becoming a reality thanks to the joint efforts of the Municipality of Areia, the SOS Dr. Hercílio Rodrigues Association, the Women's Breast Association of Campina Grande and Américas Amigas, which donated the mammography device and will contribute part of the cost of the exams performed in the new service.

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