Wayne UNC Health Care is seeking businesses and organizations in Wayne County to “Go Pink” in October, as part of an expanded breast cancer awareness campaign.

Last year more than 30 downtown merchants participated in Wayne UNC’s Downtown Goes Pink campaign, showing their support for women’s health. This year’s expanded campaign invites local businesses across the region to participate by filling their storefronts with pink décor, offering specials or pink items and encouraging employees to wear pink.

“Every two minutes a woman receives a breast cancer diagnosis,” said Wayne UNC Health Care President and CEO Janie Jaberg. “We want to encourage women in our community to get their annual mammogram so they can lead long healthy lives free of cancer.”

“Cancer is a reality in the lives of many people in our community, whether it’s touched them personally or touched the life of a family member or close friend,” said Erin Fonseca, Interim Downtown Director, City of Goldsboro. “Our partnership with Wayne UNC is an opportunity for us to get behind the effort to make sure our loved ones are getting the care they need.”

At the heart of the Wayne Goes Pink campaign is a message to women across Wayne County to complete their annual mammogram. Early detection of breast cancer through mammography screening improves a woman’s chances of survival and increases treatment options, said Nurse Practitioner Melissa Smith, an OB/GYN specialist at UNC Women’s Health at Goldsboro. “When we can detect breast cancer early, we often can offer less extensive surgery, chemotherapy with fewer side effects, and sometimes, the ability to avoid chemotherapy altogether. Studies also show that screening saves lives, boosting survivability by 40%.”

Wayne UNC Health Care offers convenient Saturday mammograms to encourage women to complete their screening on their own schedule, as well as 3D screening that provides a more detailed image of the breasts to specialists and providers. To schedule your mammogram, visit wayneunc.org/schedule.

“When you consider the prevalence of new breast cancer cases in our state – over 9,000 in 2020 alone – and the fact that it leads all other new cancer diagnoses, it is clear that we all have an important role to play in protecting the health of our loved ones,” said Kate Daniels, President and Executive Director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. “Our business community is committed to working side-by-side with Wayne UNC to empower women and encourage them to take charge of their health.”

If your business would like to participate in Wayne Goes Pink, please complete the online form at wayneunc.org/gopink with your business details and how you will participate.