As October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Public Advocate Letitia James called on the city and state to expand access to Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT), a new three-dimensional technology used to detect breast cancer.
At a press conference demonstrating the technology, she called for NYC Health + Hospitals to invest in DBT and for the State to add DBT to the Medicaid benefits package.
James also released a report highlighting the need for DBT, which more accurately diagnoses breast cancer, but is not widely available to many low-income New Yorkers and New Yorkers of color, who may be the patients who need it most. Thus she is advocating for city’s public hospitals, which includes Coney Island Hospital, Kings County Hospital, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, to get the advanced machines.
“No woman should be denied access to a breast cancer screening that could save her life,” said James. “We have a technology that could save lives, and it should be made available to all women. Putting DBT in our public hospitals would not only increase early detection among all women, but it would go a long way in closing the racial and economic survival gaps among women with breast cancer.”
A recent study showed that cancer detection rates increased by 29 percent with the use of DBT, and the recall rate (patients called back for a second exam because of an unclear image) decreased by 15 percent. DBT is widely available at New York City private hospitals, but only in one NYC Health + Hospitals hospital. While DBT is covered by Medicare and many private insurers, it is not covered by New York State Medicaid.
James’ report also found Black women are more likely than white women to die from breast cancer both nationally and in New York City; Hispanic women have the lowest participation rate of regular mammography exams among any ethnic group in the country; and low-income women have higher death rates from breast cancer. The very women that may need DBT the most likely do not have access to it, James said.
James brought with her several medical and health professionals who backed her plan.
“We believe in equal access to quality care for all New Yorkers,” said Anne Bové, RN, President, NYSNA’s H+H/Mayorals Executive Council. “3-D mammography is the latest tool in screening for breast cancer and should be available to all, including patients in our public hospital system. Women of color and low-income women, many of whom utilize our public system, are especially vulnerable to breast cancer and the latest diagnostic tools would make a life-saving difference.”
Also backing the plan was Flatbush City Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene, a medical doctor, who is actively involved in legislative and budgetary issues regarding both public and private hospitals.
“I applaud Public Advocate Letitia James for her effort to expand access to digital technology that has proven to be an important tool in the fight against breast cancer,” said Eugene. “As the medical community continues to test new methods for early detection, it is imperative that we implement these services to better protect our citizens against deadly disease.”
