Women from Italian communities have one of the lowest participation rates in the BreastScreen NSW program, but a new project based in Sydney is working to make a change.
The 10,000 Italian Roses Project aims to raise awareness about breast screening among the Italian community in New South Wales as there are currently 10,006 women of Italian background between the ages of 50 to 74 years old who have not had a mammogram.
The campaign is being run by the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS), in partnership with the Italian Association of Assistance (Co.As.It.), Westmead Breast Cancer Institute (BCI), the University of Technology (UTS) with support from BreastScreen NSW Sydney Local Health District and funding through the Cancer Institute NSW Grant Program.
The campaign was officially launched on the 30th June 2017.
10,000 Italian Roses will spark conversations and collaborations in person and across both traditional and social media, encouraging the Italian community to prioritise breast cancer screening.
Community champions and volunteers will play a vital role in promoting the importance of breast cancer screening to Italian women.
Read The Cancer Institute NSW news feature and supporting video on the 10,000 Italian Roses project or visit their Facebook page.
Watch Dr Sylvia Tenisi (General Practitioner) as she shares her story and talks about the importance of breast screening for Italian women.
Watch Paula Maiorano as she shares her breast cancer survivor story.
To find out more about the 10,000 Italian Roses Project and to join the conversation visit www.facebook.com/10000ItalianRoses