Sen. Ward partners with Western Pa. food banks to promote breast cancer screenings

It’s not enough for State Sen. Kim Ward that high-risk Pennsylvania women can benefit from legislation she crafted related to preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings.

She wants to go national in requiring insurers to cover at no cost breast MRIs, breast ultrasound and genetic testing for the BRCA gene.

“Every woman in our nation deserves to have this covered,” she said.

But for now, two events coordinated this week in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties by Ward and community partners helped local women get breast cancer screenings and raise awareness about options available to them. She and UPMC, Bayer, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition and food banks in both counties worked together to get women connected with screening appointments at UPMC imaging centers in Monroeville and West Mifflin.

After being diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in 2021, Ward said she could see firsthand some of the issues women were facing. She underwent a lumpectomy and also discovered she tested positive for what is called the BRCA gene, which can increase breast and ovarian cancer risk, according to the Mayo Clinic. The gene mutation can lead to recurring instances of cancer.

That prompted her to craft legislation signed into law in 2023 that eliminates high-risk individuals’ out-of-pocket costs for genetic testing for the breast cancer gene, counseling and supplemental screenings such as breast MRI and ultrasounds.

Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to establish such a law.

Ward encouraged others who have dense breast tissue like her to ask their doctor about other imaging options such as an MRI. Dense breast tissue can make mammograms harder to read because both the tissue and abnormal changes appear as white areas on a scan. It’s a common issue that affects nearly half of women 40 and older, according to the National Cancer Institute.

“In the end, you’re in charge of your own health care,” Ward said. “Do not be afraid.”

Jennifer Miller, chief executive officer of the Westmoreland Food Bank, said for people who need the organization’s assistance, their own health might be at the back of their mind. But partnering with Ward and the other groups allows food bank recipients an avenue to get care they might need.

“Your family isn’t whole if someone is sick, your family isn’t whole if someone passes away,” she said.

A woman taking care of her own health aligns with taking care of her family, Ward said.

“If a family needs help with feeding their family, they likely need help with their health care,” she said.

For women who have breast cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the breast, the five-year survival rate is 99%, according to the American Cancer Society. There is a one in eight chance a woman will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

Ward, Miller and Jennifer McKaskle, director of market and customer insight for Bayer, have all had a family history of breast cancer.

McKaskle helped women at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank in Duquesne get registered for testing at the UPMC imaging center in West Mifflin. The events were a good nudge for women who might’ve been behind on getting their annual scans, she said.