Both Sherry Hughes and Michele Young always got their routine mammograms to check for breast cancer.
And for years, those screenings found no sign of the disease.
But in 2018, Young was diagnosed with late-state breast cancer and told she had probably had the disease for years at that point. And in 2019 after advocating to get a breast MRI, Hughes also was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Both women also have dense breast tissue, which can make breast cancer more difficult to detect with traditional mammogram screenings. And both pushed for the passage of House Bill 371, a new Ohio law that aims to help more patients get the screenings they need to detect the disease more quickly.
The new law improves patient notification to inform patients they have dense breast tissue; allows patients of any age or risk factor to receive an annual mammogram; and expands coverage for supplemental screenings for patients with dense breasts or with a high-risk factor.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the new law are Cincinnati Cancer Advisors Director of Strategic Community Engagement and breast cancer survivor Sherry Hughes; Founding partner of Michele L. Young Co. and breast cancer survivor Michele Young; Professor of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Dr. Elyse Lower; and Ohio State Representative Sedrick Denson, a joint sponsor of House Bill 371.
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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