• The 2009 Tennessee Women's Health Report Card gave the State of Tennessee a "D" for the number of breast cancer deaths for all women in Tennessee. *
  
• Many factors contribute to this high mortality rate: a lack of breast health care information and regular monthly self exams, economic barriers that limit screening and diagnostic testing, cultural barriers and fears about healthcare systems - including confusion about medical providers - can all cause delays and result in late-stage breast cancer diagnosis and/or proper treatment. *
• Saint Thomas Health Breast Cancer Program provides over 40,000 mammograms and diagnoses and treats over 950 women with breast cancer per year.
• 69% of women nationally get recommended routine mammography screenings. In Tennessee the average is 42%, due mainly to lack of access. **

*2009 Tennessee Women Health Report Card, Vanderbilt Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Women's Health Research.

**U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000.  Available at http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/html/volume1/03cancer.htm