This year, the Group Health Centre will join a record ten sites in Northeastern Ontario for a friendly competition that encourages women to be proactive about breast health. The 50 Over Fifty Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) Challenge will be held at the Centre's Diagnostic Imaging Department (240 McNabb St) on Monday, May 5th.

With a focus on women 50 and over who have never been screened, the objective of the 50 Over Fifty OBSP Challenge is to provide a convenient window of opportunity for busy women to overcome the barriers that have prevented them from attending breast screening in the past. Each site will compete to be the first to screen 50 women over fifty years of age.

Women are welcome to walk-in to the Group Health Centre, without an appointment, any time between 9am and 5pm on Monday, May 5th. Not only will participants walk away with important information about their health - they'll get to take home a special gift!

It's important to remember: early detection is the best protection! Breast cancer screening can find cancer at an earlier stage, and result in better health outcomes. Research shows that regular screening of women aged 50 to 74 can reduce mortality, yet only 61 percent of Ontario women aged 50 to 74 were screened in 2010-2011. There are still many women who would benefit from regular breast screening, and the 50 Over Fifty OBSP Challenge aims to bring that message home.

A few more quick facts:

• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in females.
• Eight out of ten breast cancers are found in women 50 years of age or over.
• An estimated 9,300 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.

To learn more about breast cancer screening, visit http://www.Ontario.ca/screenforlife or contact the Algoma Breast Health Program at 705-759-5657.