CONNECTICUT PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR UNDERSERVED WOMEN
7/13/2024 ‐ The Women's Health Collaborative proudly celebrates the dedicated commitment and support of STATE SENATOR SAUD ANWAR (D‐South Windsor) of District 3 for his legislative work in health initiatives for women. A pulmonary physician by profession, Sen. Anwar joined public office in 2013 as mayor of South Windsor, CT (until 2015, and 2017‐2019).
Senator Anwar is involved in humanitarian and peace initiatives nationally and internationally. He is frequently invited to consult for our government and has organized medical missions for disaster relief. His efforts have been recognized at the state and federal levels and by several professional organizations. He has received numerous citations for his service to the State and is an expert on international affairs.[1]
In 2022, Sen. Anwar was appointed Senate Co‐Chair of the Public Health Committee in the General Assembly. During his term, Sen. Anwar approved Senate Bill 1 (SB1), taking on women’s health by empowering the Public Health Committee to advance breast health and breast cancer awareness‐ requiring the chairpersons of the public health committee to convene a working group to promote greater understanding of the importance of early breast cancer detection in the state. The working group shall identify organizations that provide outreach to individuals, including, but not limited to, young women of color and high school students, regarding the importance of breast health and early breast cancer detection‐ and submit to the public health and appropriations committees under legislative proposals that will improve breast cancer awareness and early detection of breast cancer[1]. Another major focus issue also includes addressing SYSTEMIC RACISM in healthcare as a Public Health Crisis ‐ where underserved groups such as black women "are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than white women"[2]
PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS ON WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE
In the Fall of 2023, The Women's Cancer Screening Coalition (WCSC) initiated a partnership outreach with community leaders to unite in support of improving public health programs for women. Dr. Robert Bard, cancer diagnostic imaging specialist (NY/CT) co‐founded a public project implementing the use of Point‐of‐Care Ultrasound as an affordable and accessible screening solution to early detection. "Aligning with leaders like Sen. Anwar is so inspiring to us all... we need to get the word out about the current health crises that continue to plague women of all ages‐ and the latest technologies and modalities that offer life‐saving answers to these issues." Upon drafting the discussion points with Sen. Anwar’s office, Dr. Leslie Valle‐Montoya (CA) echoed Dr. Bard’s ultrasound screening plan for women. Partnering with lawmakers and community leaders pursues a “more realistic and profound solution to any health crisis”. She also reflected on Sen. Anwar’s women’s initiatives as “forward thinking and a logical roadmap to addressing the imbalance of accessibility and affordability.”
Upon a recent conference with the Women's Health Collaborative (WHC) Mr. Joe Cappello of the Are You Dense? Foundation expressed his appreciation to the legislator's initiatives in women's health‐ during a discussion about the upcoming confirmation of the National Dense Breast Disclosure Law on September 10, 2024 at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building. "We have always appreciated the great support of Sen. Anwar and his administration for women's healthcare... he is the 'real deal' when it comes to understanding women's current health challenges such as endometriosis care, the need for improved early detection for younger ages and the link between breast cancer and dense breast tissue."
Excerpt from the Women's Health Digest Podcast
WHD Podcast host Lennard Gettz discusses some of the most highly needed public programs for underserved women with state champion for women's health, Senator Anwar. Explored topics included: improvements in early detection policies for women under 40, dense breast screening (to mitigate the possible links with breast cancer) and collaborating with insurance companies to allow better coverage for women's issues.
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By Sen. Saud Anwar ‐ 7/12/2024
As a health professional, I saw the failure at all different levels that led for a patient to be so sick and so unwell that they had to be in the ICU and fighting for their life. If you look at women's health, it's very clear that there is a delay in care. At times, we are missing cardiac disease in women. We also know that sometimes their symptoms are not necessarily recognized and paid attention to the level that it should. Another example is endometriosis; it may take many years before somebody actually diagnoses it, let alone treat it. But the treatments are somewhat limited.
TIME IS LIFE
We've done a good job in raising awareness on mammograms, but we have not talked well enough about the limitations of the mammograms. We have not addressed the new tests that are going to be able to identify illness in a timely fashion. Time is life. And when there's a delay in identification of the disease, we are losing months or years of somebody's life. This is far too common in our public health system, in our clinicians, in our training, but also in the insurance industry's willingness to cover some of the tests. And a combination of all of these things are leading to our citizens, our family members, our spouses, our sisters, our mothers, our women in the community who are not getting that opportunity to be able to maximize their life full potential because their healthcare is not equal.
Clearly this is well recognized especially in our minority communities such as the Latino, African American and Asian Americans communities‐ and especially in economically challenged areas. A combination of all of these result in NOT getting the care that they deserve. It's very clear that we have a lot of opportunity in education. We have a lot of opportunity and advocacy about this as well. So if you start to put all the gaps together, we can see where the missing links are and we can address those needs, starting with the medical and scientific communities‐ and go from there.
FROM PHYSICIAN TO LAWMAKER
In healthcare, it is truly about collaboration. The overwhelming majority of the time, a village of caregivers is working together to make sure that the outcome of the wellbeing of a patient is going to be the primary concern... and we do our best to take care of it. There's many similarities between the hat I wore as a physician to serving my district and my state. So in this area, you also sit down and evaluate all ideas available to solve a problem. It makes sense to listen to everybody because good ideas are not restricted to one group of people or one political party or one specialty. You look for the most efficient solution‐ and the more we disagree and come to a better consensus, the better it is because then we have looked at the pros and cons. You need to consider all the possible intended and unintended outcomes for assessment before you write a policy‐ with the foresight of how it plays out works in the future.
FOCUS ON WOMEN'S HEALTH NEEDS
We are making sure in the state of Connecticut that we are protecting our women, and we are making sure that women will have the right to choose. That's one of the bills that is important to me. We have also been able to make sure that we increase the coverage for mammograms‐ especially with tomosynthesis. This imaging feature can actually start to predict and identify the enhancement of cancers at an early stage. It's very critical to be able to do that. We were able to pass that (bill) as well ‐and that's something that we are celebrating because we are now able to identify these illnesses sooner.
With respect to endometriosis, in the state of Connecticut at the University of Connecticut, we now have the means of keeping track of endometriosis cases. We have an entire department dedicated to looking at it and identifying ways to address that going forward. We put in seed money as a state to give us enough support that is going to result in hopefully getting NIH funds to Yukon for endometriosis research. We also have been looking at ways of working with insurance industry not to restrict care if somebody needs an MRI. We are making sure that they will get that MRI if they have dense tissue. (This has been an ongoing concern). And if a patient has dense breast tissue, clinicians and that patient needs to be aware that mammogram is not going to be the best way to approach this, and they need to go further. So then we are trying to push on the insurance industry and to not restrict the care and diagnostic care that is going to be needed.
 WHAT DOES ADVOCACY MEAN? By: Geri Barish / The Hewlett House Decades into my life-long crusade to fight for cancer victims, I look at advocacy as waging a relentless war from every means possible. It's about dedicated awareness and education about prevention and early detection. It also means stepping up to the front lines for one's life, for someone you know or someone you love. It is not being afraid to stand out in the crowd and demand the need more research or hold someone's hand while we are calling for better methods and treatments. It is standing up for what we believe in for tougher insurance laws to protect those in need. Bella Abzug told me if you have to knock down the doors in Albany or bang on the Front Door of the White House, don't be afraid to be heard! Our outcry is for the people who need help... for those of us who have yet to be treated and those of us that need to be heard. When your child asks you to make the cancer go away, what do you tell them? You do everything and anything you can to find the answers! Sometimes we lose but we never give up. I know I will never give up. I lost my child but as an advocate I will keep fighting for yours.
THE POWER OF ALLIANCE The Women's Health Collaborative for Breast Cancer is an outstanding initiative that exemplifies the power of community health and advocacy. By bringing together a diverse group of healthcare professionals, survivors, and advocates, this collaborative creates a supportive and empowering environment for women affected by breast cancer. The focus on community health ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, has access to vital information, resources, and support services.
The collaborative's emphasis on advocacy is particularly personal with me in my own journey with women's health and dense breast cancer research. As both an educator, and research scientist, I am impressed by the collaboration across different sectors—medical, social, and educational—the initiative effectively addresses. It is clear that the Women's Health Collaborative is making a profound impact by fostering a culture of openness, support, and proactive health management with their multifaceted approach in education, outreach programs, and community-driven initiatives.
Overall, the Women's Health Collaborative for Breast Cancer stands as a beacon of hope and progress, demonstrating the transformative power of collective action. It not only improves individual lives but also strengthens the entire community's commitment to fighting breast cancer and supporting women's health. I am thrilled to be a part of this outreach. Visit the WHC Women's Cancer Programs
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References:
1) PEACE INITIATIVES: https://www.saudanwar.com/about
2) "Senator Anwar Joins Senate Vote To Approve Comprehensive Bill to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis, Address Health Issues Exacerbated by the Pandemic & Strengthen Connecticut’s Pandemic Preparedness" https://www.senatedems.ct.gov/anwar‐210518
Prenuvo: My Experience with A New Approach to Early Detection
THE PROMISE OF EARLY DETECTIONRoberta Kline, MD
Despite the promise of early detection, women have had a long history of underdiagnosis of health issues. Having practiced as a board-certified OB-GYN for 15 years, I know firsthand the importance of early detection for some of the most common women’s health issues, including cancer. After all, basic bloodwork, pap smears, and mammograms are routine parts of women’s health care. However, these only address a small fraction of the diseases and health issues that women can face throughout their lives.
The failure of early detection can be due to many reasons, including a lack of effective screening tests, lack of support for the widespread use of current screening technologies, or lack of access to these services. Some diseases, such as endometriosis, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, have had no effective screening tests and are often not diagnosed until much later in the disease process. Others, such as brain or aortic aneurysms, uterine fibroids, gallstones, and cancers of the bone, liver, or kidney can be detected by currently available imaging, but these are not part of the standard recommendations.
In a healthcare system that generally prioritizes disease diagnosis over disease prevention, this failure to adopt a proactive approach is not surprising. While enabling early intervention through prevention and early detection strategies is often cost-effective in the long run, it is often more resource-intensive in the short run. Changing this on a global level requires a different mindset and reorganization of resources. It also requires innovative ways of thinking and creating potential solutions.
(See Full Story)
Cancer Science News features Dr. Ben Ho Park on EARLIER DETECTION & THE TYPES OF BREAST CANCERS
Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, is Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC). Dr. Park is also a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine's Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr. Park's research is dedicated to finding a cure for all types of breast cancer by investigating mutated and altered genes responsible for the development and progression of breast cancer, as well as genes that lead to drug resistance. He is actively involved with the VICC Breast Cancer Research Program’s clinical research team to translate his research into clinical practice and patient care. (Complete interview & feature story) |
WHAT ABOUT IF YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR A MAMMOGRAM? I went to my doctor for a lump I felt in my breast and she gave me a response that se...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL CANCER ADVOCACY GROUP RECOGNIZES BARD DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH FOR ADVANCEMENTS IN DENSE BREAST IMAGING 8/28/202...
A major concern is the presence of breast cancer in underserved communities, including those TOO YOUNG FOR A MAMMOGRAM. Whereby the med
WHAT ABOUT IF YOU'RE TOO YOUNG FOR A MAMMOGRAM? I went to my doctor for a lump I felt in my breast and she gave me a response that se...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NATIONAL CANCER ADVOCACY GROUP RECOGNIZES BARD DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH FOR ADVANCEMENTS IN DENSE BREAST IMAGING 8/28/202...
A major concern is the presence of breast cancer in underserved communities, including those TOO YOUNG FOR A MAMMOGRAM. Whereby the med
