October 11–17, 2019 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 AWP 3
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
New MetroPlus head outlines
plan to combat breast cancer
New Doctor in town
Slope medical center announces new
chief surgeon of breast cancer oncology
BAY RIDGE MEDICAL IMAGING
A DIVISION OF
PROHEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES
BRMI.ORG
By Alejandra
O’connell-Domenech
for Brooklyn Paper
When it comes to helping
breast cancer survivors,
MetroPlus Health Plan is dedicated
to ensuring that all of
them receive the full care they
deserve.
“As an insurer we somewhat
go against the current,”
said Dr. Tayla Schwartz, president
and CEO of MetroPlus
Health Plan, which covers
over half a million New Yorkers.
“We want to focus on vulnerable
populations that need
health care, the populations
that need support. We don’t
shy away from them, we proactively
try to bring them into
MetroPlus because we know
that we can provide them with
comprehensive support here,
true hands on what we call
360 support with whatever
they need.”
In order to ensure that
members are staying up
to date with yearly exams,
MetroPlus Health constantly
checks member data to determine
who are the women who
qualify for or need breast cancer
screenings. Once
the company determines
that a
member should
see a provider,
they use all
means of commu
n i c a t i o n ,
phone calls, texts,
e-mails, letters to get
in touch. In order to
best communicate
with a diverse
membership, the
health plan tries
to contact members
in the language that they
speak and boasts a multi-lingual
staff along with easy access
to language lines.
If for some reason a
member is unable to get in
touch with her physician, a
MetroPlus Health employee
can call a provider and schedule
and appointment for her.
To encourage members to prioritize
their health, MetroPlus
incentivizes women to schedule
a yearly mammogram
by offering reward points
which can be used to purchase
items from the company’s
rewards catalogue.
In order to not just have
the responsibility
placed on the member,
MetroPlus also financially
incentivizes doctors
to make sure that
their patients are up to
date on their early
exams.
Met roPlus
Health understands
that it is
not always easy for
members to make to
a doctor’s appointment and
will bring health care to the
community by holding public
events where women can
be screened on the spot. In
2018, there were 37, 403
mammograms performed on
MetroPlus Health members.
The health plan currently has
1,600 members undergoing
treatment for breast cancer, a
number that has stayed stable
over the last five years.
During member data analysis
and out in communities,
MetroPlus Health takes special
care to encourage higher
risk demographics, especially
African American women, to
undergo breast cancer screenings.
According to the Center
for Disease Control, black
women are 40 percent more
likely to die of breast cancer
than white women.
“It’s very clear that any
time you want to make a dent
in a health issue, there isn’t
one approach that works,”
said Schwartz. “You have
to attack it from multiple
angles.”
A Doctor’s Passion
MetroPlus Health Plan is
not your typical health insurance
program and that is
in part because of the passion
and care of Dr. Tayla
Schwartz, president and CEO
of MetroPlus Health Plan, a
pediatrician by training. Dr.
Schwartz has known that she
wanted to be a physician since
“the time she could speak”
and brings her need to care
for other into every position
she holds.
“We are tremendously
lucky to be who we are,”
said Dr. Schwartz.
After serving in the military
in her native Israel, Dr.
Schwartz studied at the Sackler
School of Medicine and
came to New York for a residency
in Pediatrics at Maimonides
Medical Center in
Brooklyn. Schwartz worked
as a pediatrician at the Children’s
National Medical Center
in Washington D.C. and simultaneously
conducted basic
research at the National Institute
of Health. Two years after
her fellowship, Schwartz began
working for a healthcare
consulting firm where she was
first able to view healthcare
“through a different lens” and
subsequently became more interested
in the business side
of healthcare. Schwartz has
been president and CEO of
MetroPlus Health Plan since
2006.
Dr. Tayla Schwartz, president and CEO of MetroPlus Health Plan, is a pediatrician
by training.
Photo by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech
By Elissa Esher
for Brooklyn Paper
NewYork-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
rang in Breast Cancer
Awareness Month by recruiting
Dr. Vivian Bea as Section
Chief of Breast Surgical
Oncology on September
16th. A Park Slope local and
true “super-mom,” Bea also
serves as Assistant Professor
of Surgery at Weill Cornell
Medicine, completed her fellowship
at The University of
Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, published best-selling
children’s book “Chocolate
Kid Chronicals: Please Don’t
Touch My Magical Hair” in
2018, and has been recognized
as a top physician in
her field, all while mothering
two boys.
“It’s a great opportunity,”
said Bea. “I’ve been blessed
with a job that doesn’t feel
like a job — caring for people
affected by breast diseases
and helping them reach healing
— the light at the end of
the tunnel.”
Disturbed by the comparatively
low survival
rates of African American
women with breast cancer,
Bea said she has dedicated
her life not only to fighting
this disease, but also to fighting
the “disparities that come
with it.”
At 35, Bea was selected as
one of the 40 Under 40 Leaders
in Minority Health by the
National Minority Quality
Forum in 2018 for her dedication
to community outreach
and breast cancer disparities
research. She says she will
strive toward the elimination
of breast cancer disparities
in King’s County during her
time in Brooklyn.
“Unfortunately, Brooklyn
statistically harbors the
greatest racial disparities
in the medical field off all
five boroughs, particularly
in breast cancer,” said Bea.
“My colleagues and I really
want to focus more on hospital
outreach, especially during
Breast Cancer Awareness
Month. The disparities we
see in Brooklyn really boil
down to awareness — you
won’t go get a mammogram
if you don’t know the benefits
of being proactive — so we
want to target communities
who haven’t been as educated
about breast cancer.”
Based in Park Slope, New
York-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital has provided
healthcare services to
the people of Brooklyn since
1887. The hospital is recognized
as a Breast Diagnositc
Center of Excellence and provides
a myriad of services
for breast cancer patients,
including breast conservation
therapy, radiation therapy,
workshops, and support
groups. Bea said it was this
multi-disciplinary center that
drew her most when she left
her former position as Breast
Surgical Oncologist at MD
Anderson Cancer Center at
Cooper in Camden, NJ for
New York-Presbyterian.
“Most people who are diagnosed
with cancer have to
see experts in multiple fields
in many different locations,”
said Bea. “With our multidisciplinary
clinic, patients
can see all their specialists
in one day. The future
of breast cancer is exciting
because we’re never satisfied
with where we are right now.
We’re always looking for new
methods like this one to imDr.
Vivian Bea prove patient satisfaction.”
NewYork-Presbyterian Public Affairs
Breast cancer survival rates soar
A breast-cancer diagnosis
can be a devastating
blow. Upon receiving
such a diagnosis, people
may begin to ask questions
about treatment and the impact
cancer may have on their
personal lives. Many people
who are diagnosed with cancer
also begin to wonder about
their mortality.
An estimated 266,120
new cases of invasive breast
cancer and 63,960 new cases
of non-invasive, or in-situ,
breast cancer are expected to
be diagnosed among women
in the United States this
year, according to Breastcancer.
org. According to the
latest statistics presented by
the Canadian Breast Cancer
foundation, 26,300 women
and 230 men had been diagnosed
with breast cancer
in Canada in 2017.
The good news is that
breast-cancer incidence
rates began decreasing in
2000 after increasing for
the previous two decades.
In addition, death rates
from breast cancer have
been decreasing steadily
since 1989.
The National Cancer Institute
says that the change in
age-adjusted mortality rates
are an indicator of the progress
being made in the fight
Early detection and better treatment options are improving the chances of
surviving breast cancer.
against breast cancer. The
most recent SEER Cancer
Statistics Review released in
April 2018 indicates cancer
death rates among women
decreased by 1.4 percent per
year between the years of
2006 and 2015.
The American Cancer
Society says that decreasing
death rates among major
cancer types, including
prostate, colorectal, lung,
and breast cancers, are
driving the overall shift in
survival. The Society says
breast-cancer death rates
among women declined
by 39 percent from 1989 to
2015. That progress is attributed
to improvements
in early detection and treatment
protocols. For anyone
doing the math, over the last
25 years or so, 322,000 lives
have been saved from breast
cancer.
A similar scenario has unfolded
in Canada. Breast cancer
mortality rates in Canada
recently decreased to 21.4 percent,
down from 21.8 percent
in 2011, states data from the
Canadian Cancer Society.
Currently, the five-year survival
rate for breast cancer
among Canadians is 87 percent,
and the five-year net survival
in the United States is
85 percent.
Increased knowledge
about breast cancer, early
detection through examinations
and mammography,
and improved treatments are
helping to drive up the survival
rates of breast cancer.
Although this does not make
diagnosis any less scary, it
does offer hope to those recently
diagnosed.
BREAST SELF-EXAM GUIDE The same pattern and procedure
I n addition to scheduling
clinical screenings and
mammograms, women
should routinely examine and
massage their breasts to detect
any abnormalities. These
breast self-exams can be an
important part of early breast
cancer detection.
Although many women
are aware that they should
become familiar with their
bodies, many are unsure
about just how frequently
they should conduct breast examinations.
Experts at Johns
Hopkins Medical center advise
adult women of all ages
to perform self-examinations
at least once a month. That’s
because 40 percent of diagnosed
breast cancers are first
detected by women who feel
a lump. Establishing a regular
breast self-exam schedule
is very important.
Begin by looking at the
breasts in a mirror. Note the
size and appearance of the
breasts, and pay attention to
any changes that are normal
parts of hormonal changes associated
with menstruation.
Breasts should be evenly
shaped without distortion
or swelling.
Changes that should cause
concern include dimpling,
puckering, or bulging of the
skin. Inverted nipples or nipples
that have changed position,
as well as any rash or
redness, should be noted. In
addition, the same examination
should be done with arms
raised over the head.
The breasts should be felt
while both lying down and
standing up. Use the right
hand to manipulate the left
breast and vice versa. Use a
firm touch with the first few
fingers of the hand. Cover
the entire breast in circular
motions. The pattern taken
doesn’t matter so long as it
covers the entire breast. All
tissue, from the front to the
back of the breast, should
be felt.
should be conducted
while standing up. Many
women find this easiest to
do while in the shower.
It is important not to panic
if something is detected. Not
every lump is breast cancer.
And bumps may actually be
normal parts of the breast, as
certain areas can feel different
than others. But bring any
concerns to the attention of
your doctor.
Breast self-exams are a
healthy habit to adopt. When
used in conjunction with regular
medical care and mammography,
self-exams can be
yet another tool in helping to
detect breast abnormalities.
Doctors and nurses will use
similar breast examination
techniques during routine
examinations.
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