From left, members of the Mountains and Molehills Team Heide Van Roekel, Barry Brobst and Nancy Partridge, far right, accept a proclamation from Los Alamos County Council Vice Chair Denise Derkacs, second from right, which declares the month of October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The proclamation was issued during Tuesday night’s council meeting. The team is raising money for the Susan G. Komen organization. To help with this effort, Patridge said they will soon be walking 60-miles for three days in Dallas and their goal is to raise $15,000. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Staff Report:

Los Alamos County Council issued a proclamation during its regular meeting Tuesday night declaring October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

County Council Vice Chair Denise Derkacs read the proclamation, which states:

WHEREAS: This year 341,960 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S.; and more than 43,781 women and men in the U.S. are expected to die from breast cancer; and

WHEREAS: The New Mexico Department of Health reports that breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the state and the second leading cause of cancer death among New Mexico women; and

WHEREAS: The COVID-19 pandemic diverted resources away from cancer research, halted thousands of university research studies, and dramatically reduced philanthropic support for breast cancer research and treatment programs; and

WHEREAS: 79% of patients in active treatment for cancer reported a delay to their health care due to the pandemic; and 46% of cancer patients and survivors reported a change to their financial situation that affected their ability to pay for care; and

WHEREAS: Minority groups bear a disproportionate cancer burden, because of factors such as poverty, being uninsured or underinsured, lack of access to early detection services and high-quality treatment; and

WHEREAS: Half of the women who develop breast cancer are 62 years of age or younger when they are diagnosed; and,

WHEREAS: Funding for research, public education about symptoms, insurance coverage for diagnostic testing, early detection, and affordable treatment are the keys to fighting breast cancer.

NOW, THEREFORE, on behalf of the Council of the Incorporated County of Los Alamos, I do hereby proclaim the Month of October 2022 as “BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH” in Los Alamos County, and encourage our community to become educated about the early warning signs and causes of breast cancer and its effective treatment.