Sammamish Resident Pairs Friends, Food & Breast Health at Overlake Mammogram Party

Renee Bornfreund of Sammamish loves hosting her friends for wine and refreshments.

At a recent gathering, she added breast health to the mix.

Bornfreund invited her friends to Overlake Breast Center at Overlake Medical Center for a mammography party. 

Overlake Medical Center is helping women host Mammography Parties for their friends and family. The women meet at one of Overlake's Bellevue or Issaquah breast screening locations, and can relax in robes, if they choose, with wine and cheese or tea and cookies, while taking turns getting examined by a radiologist. 

Insurance covers the mammograms, in the same method as a normal procedure, though the snacks and refreshments are provided by the hospital.

Bornfreund, who underwent treatment for breast cancer at Overlake, said that she hoped to raise awareness among her friends about the importance of having a breast health screening, and to quell some of the anxiety that some may face about mammograms. 

Some of Bornfreunds friends couldn't make this event because they already had their annual mammogram allowed by insurance, she said, but if this year's party is successful, she hopes to make it an annual event.

To schedule a party, call Overlake Hospital Medical Center at 425-688-5985.

Who needs a mammogram? 

In its online resource, A Primer for Women’s Health: Learn About Your Body in 52 Weeks, the National Institutes of Health recommends: 

• Women in their 40s and older should have mammograms every one or two years.
• Women who are younger than 40 and have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their health care provider whether to have mammograms and how often to have them.

How to throw your own mamm party:

• Contact a local imaging center to find out if they host parties. (You can also ask your doctor for recommendations on a host site.)
• Be sure to find out the center's policies on insurance.
• Look for an imaging center that provides party details like food, drinks and invitations.
• If the center near you doesn't host parties, ask for block scheduling options so you and your friends can go to dinner afterward.
• In addition to your neighbors or coworkers, include survivors you know who can provide courage and support for women.
• If you like the experience, consider making it a yearly event.

-- Information previously published in Patch by writer Shannon K. Winning was used in this report.