GO Teal and White Campaign to Raise Awareness About Cervical Cancer
USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute has launched a statewide campaign called “GO Teal and White” to raise awareness about how to prevent cervical cancer, which is killing more women in Alabama than in any other state in the nation. The campaign will run throughout January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
MOBILE, Alabama -- USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute has launched a statewide campaign called “GO Teal and White” to raise awareness about how to prevent cervical cancer, which is killing more women in Alabama than in any other state in the nation. The campaign will run throughout January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
“Our goal is to get the word out to prevent cervical cancer by vaccination, paps and follow-up testing,” said Dr. Jennifer Young Pierce, lead of Cancer Control and Prevention at the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
The campaign calls on businesses, nonprofit organizations and supporters to hang GO Teal and White posters during the month of January and to wear teal and white on Wednesday, January 16. The RSA Towers will be lit in teal and white on January 16 in Montgomery and January 17 in Mobile.
A report released in November by Human Rights Watch showed that the Alabama’s cervical cancer mortality ranked No. 1 in the nation, with some counties’ rates mirroring that of developing countries.
“The report is incredibly disheartening -- to think that there are women less than 100 miles from here who are dying of a preventable illness in the shadows of cancer centers and organizations that could provide all of the treatment they need,” Dr. Pierce said.
Joining the Mitchell Cancer Institute for the GO Teal and White campaign are the American Cancer Society, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lilies of the Valley, Alabama Public Health, the Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition and the Laura Crandall Brown Foundation.
"We want to bring awareness about cervical cancer," said Denise Harris Wright, co-owner of The Curvacious Collection Boutique in Mobile, one of the businesses supporting the GO Teal and White campaign. "The misinformation is worse than no information."
The Mitchell Cancer Institute offers the following recommendations to prevent cervical cancer:
- Get screened. A Pap Test is recommended every three to five years for women ages 21 to 64. An HPV (human papillomavirus) test is recommended starting at age 30.
- Follow up with your physician on any abnormal screening results.
- Vaccinate adolescent boys and girls, ideally between the ages of 11 and 12, against HPV, which causes cervical cancer.
About USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute
As the region's only academic cancer center, USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute combines NIH-funded scientific research with comprehensive cancer care serving communities across southern Alabama, southeast Mississippi and portions of northwest Florida. With three locations, more than 50 clinical trials, and five support groups, the Mitchell Cancer Institute guides patients and their families from the moment of diagnosis through survivorship.
