The Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center and ESU kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the 18th Annual Pink Light Walk

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono (LVH–Pocono) will host the 18^th annual Pink Light Walk on Thursday, October 4 at 5 p.m. In addition, the Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute will introduce its new Mobile Mammography Coach to the community at 6:30 p.m. The coach provides a convenient way for women to have 3D screening mammograms where they’re located.

In collaboration with LVH–Pocono’s Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center, the American Cancer Society and Prime Time Health of Monroe County’s Area Agency on Aging, the walk is held each year to increase awareness for breast cancer during the month of October.

This year’s Pink Light Walk is organized by the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center’s Breast Health Nurse Navigator, Caroline McConnell, ESU Wellness Education and Prevention Coordinator, Laura Suits, a committee from both organizations, and other members from the community. “There is a sense of unity, compassion and family that is felt here at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono. I have taken many moments since I have started my position to reflect on how amazing this cancer center is as well as the hospital and the surrounding community,” said McConnell. “I am grateful to the powers that be that led me here to be a part of this.”

Prior to the walk, at 5 p.m., education tables with interactive programs and information regarding LVH-Pocono’s free mammogram voucher program service will be held in the ESU Science and Technology Center on Normal Street. The Pink Light Walk will begin from there at 6 p.m. and will end at the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center located on 181 East Brown Street, East Stroudsburg, where there will be refreshments and a speech by breast cancer survivor and honorary chair of this year’s committee, Marta Thompson.

“Cancer changed me. It made me stronger and I believe I am a better person,” said Thompson, two year breast cancer survivor. “It showed me to appreciate where I am in my journey, even if it is not where I want to be. I believe every season in our life serves a purpose and things happen for a reason.”

At 6:30 p.m., remarks will be delivered introducing the Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute’s new Mobile Mammography Coach.

“Preventive cancer screening has the power to change lives,” said Lori Alfonse, DO, Surgical Oncology, Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute. “We want to put that power into motion by bringing screening mammography to the workplace, schools or community organization. By bringing the service to them, we can provide a critical service for women who have many demands on their time.”

The coach measures about 40 feet long by almost nine feet wide and 13-and-a-half feet high and requires 60 feet of curbside parking when on location. To find out more about the mobile mammography coach visit lvhn.org/mammocoach, or call 888-402-LVHN (5846).

East Stroudsburg University, a comprehensive university in northeastern Pennsylvania offering 55 bachelor’s, 22 master’s, and one doctoral degree, is one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. ESU offers various degrees in health-related fields including nursing, public health, health education, exercise science, athletic training as well as pre-medicine, pre-physical therapy, and pre-physician assistant concentrations. Visit esu.edu for additional information.

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes eight hospital campuses – three in Allentown including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery, one in Bethlehem, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton and two in Pottsville, Pa.; 26 health centers caring for communities in seven counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices and 18 ExpressCARE locations throughout the region including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE at the Health Center at Palmer Township; pharmacy, imaging, home health services and lab services; extensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred.  Specialty care includes: trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children, burn care at the regional Burn Center, kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, orthopedics, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.  The Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute, the Lehigh Valley Heart Institute and the Lehigh Valley Institute for Special Surgery give clinicians of the highest caliber the necessary infrastructure, programs and partnerships to help community members stay healthy and provide the most advanced treatment when needed. The Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute is a formal member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, a transformative initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with cancer in community health care settings, including access to key MSK clinical trials. Robotic surgery is offered in ten specialties across the health network with more than 10,000 procedures performed since 2007. Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital and Level 4 NICU in the region, provides care in more than 30 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest has been recognized among the top five hospitals in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report for five consecutive years. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg are national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing.  Additional information is available by visiting LVHN.org, or following us on Facebook and Twitter.

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