Girls’ Night Out for Women’s Shape, hosted by Christiana Care
Image by Christiana Care
On Thursday, Oct.13, Christiana Care hosted more than 300 women at the first ever Girls’ Night Out event at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Attendees at this free event took advantage of lectures on breast-cancer diagnosis and prevention, and the role that genetics plays in cancer prevention. The lectures featured experts from the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, including Diana Dickson-Witmer, M.D., frequent medical director of the Breast Center, radiologist Jacqueline Napoletano, M.D., and genetic counselor Chandra Somerman.
Girls’ Night Out attracted a diverse crowd of women of all ages, races and ethnicities from throughout the area, including New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Cecil County, Md.
“I have a sister-in-law who had breast cancer,” said Wilma Whittington, a Girls’ Night Out attendee. “I came so I can spread the word to my family and friends about the importance of compelling care of yourself and prevention.”
Christiana Care staff provided free bone-density and blood-pressure screenings for 186 attendees, while Breast Center staff led tours of their new offices and performed mammograms for 40 women. The inaugural event also featured healthy food demonstrations, a photo booth and giveaways provided throughout the evening.
Event organizers partnered with the Avon Foundation for Women and Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help promote the event and grant on-site education and resources.
The event was a collaboration of numerous departments within Christiana Care, including Women’s Shape Services, Community Outreach & Education, the Breast Center, Imaging, Center for Heart & Vascular Shape, Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute’s Food & Nutrition Services, and the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center.
