Howard County breast cancer programs offer free screenings, support to patients

Oct. 19—On her 39th birthday in 2011, Ellicott City resident Chris Miller discovered a lump under her arm and quickly learned that she was one of the more than 250 women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Howard County.

Miller's stage III cancer would eventually require her to get 22 lymph nodes removed and undergo a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and 10 years of hormone therapy, among other treatments.

"I was particularly worried about losing my hair and how that was going to impact my children," said Miller, 49, who has three kids. "I was scared, I was really super scared."

In searching for help, Miller's sister soon discovered Howard County General Hospital's Claudia Mayer / Tina Broccolino Cancer Resource Center, which offers a range of services, from care planning to support groups, to men, women and children diagnosed with cancer.

"I walked in one day, and I just said, 'What do I need to know?'" Miller remembered.

More than a decade later, Miller now serves as the center's manager, having merged her career as a clinical mental health therapist with her desire to serve cancer patients after completing her own treatment. She joins the ranks of a number of Howard residents dedicated to educating the public about cancer and ensuring patients know about available resources.

Prevention and Detection

From 2015 to 2019, female breast cancer mortality rates in the county were 16.2 per 100,000 individuals, slightly below the state (21) and national (19.9) averages, according to the Howard County Health Department.

"I'd like to think that [lower rate] is due to early detection and appropriate treatment," said Howard County health officer Dr. Maura Rossman, whose grandmother passed away from breast cancer more than 60 years ago. "Know that there are good outcomes now. You can live a long and normal life."

The department's Breast and Cervical Cancer Program wants to make that rate even lower and offers free mammograms, Pap tests and clinical breast exams through contracted health care providers to Maryland women age 40 and older who qualify depending on income. If a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer, the program will assist them with case management and finding coverage for treatment.

County detection efforts have paid off, as 84.5% of Howard women over the age of 50 reported having a mammogram in the past two years in 2018, according to the health department's 2021 report card, compared with 67.9% at the national level over the same period.

Connie Ford, the supervisor for the department's Cancer Prevention and Control Program, which includes the breast and cervical services, also emphasizes the importance of getting screened early. While their grant funding only covers older patients, the program helps symptomatic younger women find community resources and treatment.

"We want them to review their health history and all the risk factors with their providers to determine what is the appropriate age for them to begin screening," Ford said. "We just want women to know the importance of early detection for better outcomes."

'We don't have to turn anyone away'

The Claudia Mayer / Tina Broccolino center focuses on customizing support for all its patients, some of whom are referred from Howard General's Breast Center, the only hospital-based program for breast cancer treatment in the county.

"You don't have to pay anything to come in there to look at the books, to ask questions [or] just relax and have a cup of coffee," said Catonsville resident Tina Broccolino, 83, who helped found the Claudia Mayer / Tina Broccolino center in 1998 and continues fundraising to support its work.

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The center provides free counseling with an oncology social worker, a cancer resource library and a variety of cancer support groups that meet in-person and virtually. Patients can even receive free wigs courtesy of the center's Wig Salon, which also has a selection of headscarves and hats.

"We don't have to turn anyone away," said Miller. "I like to tell people that when they call us, they are going to leave that interaction with more information than when they called."

The center is in the process of launching a Peer Mentor Program to connect new cancer patients with someone who has experienced a similar diagnosis. Getting connected with another young mother who herself was a survivor was key to Miller's own cancer experience.

"That provided me so much hope that there was sort of a light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

Above all, Miller and Broccolino want Howard County cancer patients to know they are not alone and that the center is there to help them before, during and after treatment.

"The hardest part is picking up the phone and calling," said Miller. "Once they do, we meet them with openness and an opportunity to find out what is the challenge for them and what will allow them to both have cancer, which is the worst thing, and also continue to live their life."

For more information on breast cancer in the county, visit https://www.howardcountymd.gov/health/breast-cervical-cancer-program.