Connecting with communities during NAIDOC Week
This NAIDOC Week, celebrating "50 years of Deadly", we were proud to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across NSW, bringing breast screening information, support and services directly to the local community in familiar and trusted environments .
As part of our ongoing commitment to improving access to screening, our services attended multiple events including the Shoalhaven NAIDOC Family Fun Day in Nowra and the Ngulla NAIDOC Festival in Ulladulla. We also attended a number of NAIDOC community events across Western Sydney including Windsor, Whalan, Penrith, Riverstone and Mount Druitt. These events provided valuable opportunities to connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, share information about breast health and promote BreastScreen NSW services.
Community events provide a culturally safe and welcoming environment where women can learn more about breast screening, ask questions and talk openly about any concerns they may have. Connecting with community in this way helps address barriers that may have prevented some women from taking the first step towards having a breast screen. For many women, these conversations led to women having their first screening experience.
Community members also took part in our breast cancer and breast screening trivia activity, which encouraged conversations about the importance of regular screening in an engaging and welcoming way. Women were also able to check when they were next due for screening and join our contact list for future appointments.
Building strong relationships with communities helps support increased participation in breast screening, particularly among women attending for their first screen. A positive first screening experience can encourage women to return when they are next due, making breast screening a regular part of their routine healthcare and supporting early detection of breast cancer.
We are committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to prioritise their health. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are recommended to have a free breast screen every two years from age 40.
Through our network of mobile screening locations, we continue to bring screening services closer to communities across NSW. A breast screen is free, takes around 20 minutes and does not require a doctor's referral. Women can learn more about breast cancer and screening on our website.
Thank you to everyone who visited us during NAIDOC Week. We look forward to continuing to work alongside communities across NSW to support early detection and improve access to breast screening for more women.
