The Hospital Cooperative - Brake for Breakfast

What is it?

The Hospital Cooperative, a consortium of 14 hospitals in southeast Idaho and western Wyoming, participate in “Brake for Breakfast” to promote breast cancer awareness and education. On the first Wednesday of every October from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., hospital volunteers and staff members in 14 communities staff stations where drivers can pull up and receive a bag containing healthy breakfast items and literature about breast cancer.

Who is it for?

Community members in areas served by the hospitals in The Hospital Cooperative.

Why do they do it?

Women are very busy being mothers, sisters, daughters, and spouses, and generally taking care of other people. Brake for Breakfast wants them to take time to look at their own health. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, and the American Cancer Society estimates that about 1,000 women in Idaho will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Idaho also has one of the lowest mammogram usage rates in the country. Although there is no cure for breast cancer, if it is detected early, survival rates are high. The ultimate goal of Brake for Breakfast is to remind all women to do monthly breast self-exams, see their health care provider for an annual clinical breast exam, and get a mammogram yearly after age 40.

Impact

The event is publicized in advance in the communities and, as a result, more than 16,000 community members receive this important information. The Hospital Cooperative plans to continue this program annually.

Contact: Jamie Pehrson
Event Organizer
Telephone: 208-239-1950
E-mail: jamie@hospitalcooperative.org