BCAC is delighted to announce that BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA) has approved BCAC’s Step by Step resource pack for distribution by all the BSA screening providers around the country. The pack will be offered to all patients at breast cancer diagnosis appointments.
The announcement comes following a request by BCAC chair, Libby Burgess, to BSA’s Clinical Leader, Marli Gregory and BSA Programme Leader, Barbara Irwin earlier this year.
BSA asked the Lead Surgeon and Lead Breast Care Nurse at each of the screening providers around New Zealand to evaluate the Step by Step pack. The feedback was very positive and the BSA Programme agreed that it would be a valuable resource to make available to BSA women who have a diagnosis of cancer. Some providers were already using Step by Step.
BSA’s Barbara Irwin, comments that “Step by Step offers those newly diagnosed with breast cancer valuable information about the disease, the treatment options and the support available to them in their communities. A breast cancer diagnosis is the beginning of a challenging journey and we want to be able to offer women as much support and information as possible.”
BCAC spokesperson, Libby Burgess, says “We are thrilled to be able to distribute Step by Step through the BSA providers as this ensures many more women will receive empowering information as soon as they receive their breast cancer diagnosis.”
To date BCAC has given Step by Step to over 3500 New Zealanders and aim to offer a copy to every one of the 2700 women diagnosed with breast cancer in New Zealand every year.
Each Step by Step pack contains:
• An information booklet about breast cancer, treatment options, support organisations and other useful resources.
• A diary to organise medical and treatment information, record appointment times and note down any questions women may wish to ask their medical teams.
• A journal for recording personal thoughts, with inspirational messages from other women who have experienced breast cancer.
To obtain a free copy of Step By Step, email us at admin@breastcancer.org.nz. Please remember to include your name and address. Alternatively you can go to our website www.breastcancer.org.nz and order a copy from there.
