(upbeat music) - Hi, everyone, Steve Adubato.

Welcome to a very special half hour.

Jacqui Tricarico and I teed this up.

This is our program on breast cancer awareness, and we kick it off with a leader in the field.

Sarah Roberts is executive director of the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sarah, great to have you with us.

- Thank you so much for having me.

- The name, the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation.

Put it in perspective.

- The Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation ensures that all women in New Jersey, the uninsured and underserved communities, have access to breast healthcare that includes screenings, treatment, follow-up care, and, most importantly, support while they're dealing with breast cancer and their families, so we're here to support them in any way we can.

- And Connie Dwyer?

- Connie Dwyer is our wonderful leader and founder, and we're celebrating our 20th anniversary, and since that 20 years, in the last two decades, we have opened two centers, and we currently have a center at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, and recently launched a mobile mammography unit with University Hospital.

- So let me ask you something.

In terms of breast cancer awareness, how much better are we doing, Sarah, when it comes to early detection?

- Well, I believe that early detection is saving lives.

A lot of women are now dealing with breast cancer at a much younger age, but I think it's because there are more advanced technology and screenings, and women are taking it very seriously, scheduling their mammograms, and know the earlier they find breast cancer, the better chances they have of survival.

- Women of color.

Are they disproportionately impacted, affected, suffering because of dealing with breast cancer, so we can get into the whole question of social determinants of health, but African American and Latino women affected differently by breast cancer?

- I think we're finding that yes they are.

They're coming to the hospital in a much later stage of breast cancer, more likely stage four, and they're at a higher risk because for many reasons, whether they're underinsured, uninsured, they're in underserved communities, or they're just not likely to schedule their mammogram because it's hard to make time, it's hard to find transportation, childcare, to get time off of work to really take care of themselves, and they're taking care of other people all the time, so there are many barriers that they face that they are not seeing the success rates from early detection in coming to the hospitals, and they're being diagnosed at stage four instead of stage zero or one.

- And the difference is huge between, again, every case is different, every woman is different, but being diagnosed in stage one or two versus four, all the difference in the world?

- I believe so.

I mean, I would consult your doctor about your treatment options.

- So Dr. Blackwood's gonna be on, I'm sorry, Dr. Blackwood's on, and Jacqui Tricarico is doing that interview, so she'll put-- It's actually unfair to ask of you.

She'll put it in perspective clinically, but anecdotally, it matters when you are diagnosed.

- It does matter, and early detection saves lives, so the sooner you find breast cancer and it happens to be at a younger age or an earlier stage, your prognosis is much better.

The treatments are effective.

- Yeah, let's talk about treatments.

So much of what we've been talking about, we talk to so many healthcare professionals, and technology has had a huge impact on the world of healthcare and medicine.

The technology connected to mammograms, connected to diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

What do we know about that, Sarah?

- Well, we do know that the standard of care now is 3D mammography, and now women are being educated more about whether they have dense breasts, and that makes a difference because that usually means an MRI or ultrasound follow-up, and we are excited to announce that we just gave a grant to Overlook Foundation for Overlook Hospital for a technology that is doing dye contrast, and while you're getting the 3D mammo instead of having an MRI, some women can't have an MRI for certain reasons, and it's also cost effective to have a dye contrast MRI while you're having a 3D mammography, and that's gonna help save lives, and that's kind of the future of medicine where it's going now is they're finding new ways to detect the breast cancer earlier and this is gonna be one of them.

- So the Foundation is not a medical organization, meaning it's not a hospital, it's not a clinic, but you provide grants to what kind of organizations do and what kind of work around breast cancer?

- That's a great question.

So we have different vehicles.

So we have raised money to launch a mobile mammography unit with University Hospital, which is really exciting.

- In Newark.

I wanna be clear University Hospital in Newark.

Go ahead, please.

- Right, it's traveling around Essex County, mostly Newark, the Greater Newark area, and parts of Union County, where it's serving underserved communities coming into those locations to help them get their mammographies, 3D mammography, right on the mammo unit, and they also have cervical examinations to detect cervical cancer, bilingual coordinators and follow-up care, and we open centers like that in the one at Trinitas, and then we have our Community Grants Program that helps many organizations like Sister-to-Sister or Crossroads for Hope, or the Connections and Pathways Program, and those help families with support and much-needed nutrition, food insecurities, and all of those things helping the whole family in that type of situation.

- So how did you get into this work?

- I've always worked in nonprofits in my whole career and really enjoyed working in women's health, and I started working at the Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation about five years ago, and I've loved every minute of it.

- It's a nonprofit, but the money matters, so if someone went on the website right now, not only could they find out about programs and initiatives and where grants go, we're not gonna turn this into a fundraiser, but if people wanted to be supportive, they could.

- They could.

They could go to our website, it's www.CDBCF.org, and you can learn all about our programs and our initiatives.

The most important thing we're trying to do is ensure that every woman in New Jersey has the access to breast screenings, treatment, follow-up care, and support.

- Sarah, this may be a question that's not really relevant in this time that we're living in, but not too long ago there were a fair number of anecdotal stories where women, and listen, this is true for men as well, there are certain tests that we avoid.

There was, "My doctor called and said, "you know, it's been a while since you had the PSA "and you gotta get--" Translation, I'm like, "Well, I don't want to go."

To what extent does that, I don't know if I call it reluctance, resistance, I don't know what I call it, avoidance, is that still there in a significant way, Sarah?

or are the vast majority of women saying, "No, it's not that I don't want to know or know, "but if I do have an issue, "the earlier it is detected, "the better chance I have of surviving "and living a quality life?"

Loaded question, I know.

Talk to us about that.

- I think it's a great question.

I think what you're doing here today, too, is helping spread that awareness because every October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this message just gets out there over and over and over again to hope that women really take the time to stop, call their doctor, make their appointment for their mammography, it's annually starting at 40, it's important that you go every year so you can see the changes in your breast.

- Every year, every year.

- Every year.

- After 40.

- After 40 to get your mammography.

For some saying I'm waiting five years, bad idea.

- Bad idea 'cause things can change.

But you can also do self-examinations at home.

I mean, starting in your twenties, getting familiar with things, getting familiar with the signs, your own breasts, what they look like, what it should be like, what it should feel like.

If there's a lump or any other changes is really important.

That's when you should call your doctor.

- How about family members, support for family members of women dealing with breast cancer?

Talk about that.

- I glad you brought that up.

That's a great point.

I think it's really important to know your risk and to calculate your risk, and you can sit with your gynecologist or your doctor and really talk about your risk, your family history, whether your mother has it, maternal, paternal mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and to know what the guidelines may change for you.

Your frequency of getting a mammogram may change, the age may change, so you really need to consult your doctor and talk about your risk.

- And along those lines, family history matters but may not be determinative, that's not the right word.

It may not determine whether you have breast cancer or not.

It matters but there are other factors, correct?

- Yeah, I think that is correct.

I think there are tests you can take like the BRCA test that some women may choose to take depending on if they've calculated that risk with their physician, so I think it's important to know all those tools are out there and that you have really done your homework and you've advocated for yourself to know like what your personal risk is and to make sure that you stay on top of your mammograms.

- Sarah Roberts.

And we are honored by you and the work that the Foundation is doing to join us, Jacqui Tricarico, myself, and our entire team, in this breast cancer awareness special.

Sarah Roberts is executive director of the Connie Dwyer-- Check out Connie Dwyer, a really important person.

Connie Dwyer Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sarah, thank you so much.

Keep up the important work.

- Thank you so much for having me.

I really appreciate it.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

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