Pampering, prevention go hand in hand at event
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Connie Teis of Altoona, 74, has recovered from thyroid cancer twice and is diligent about getting mammograms annually to help ensure against potential damage from breast cancer.
In addition, her hands shake, making it hard to do her nails – yet she likes to be pampered.
So when Teis saw a flyer about UPMC Health Plan’s “Mamm O’Glam” incentive event – during which women who got mammograms would get free manicures and arm and hand massages – Teis moved up a mammogram appointment previously set for December and showed up Tuesday at Station Medical Center.
“I felt special today,” she said after her medical test and her time in the chair in front of one of four nail technician students from the Altoona Beauty School. “I needed that.”
It’s important to take care of your health, said Jess Turkovich, one of the four nail techs.
“But you also need to make sure you feel good about yourself,” Turkovich said.
“Hand and arm massages help them relax,” Turkovich said. “And a fresh coat of polish feels like the cherry on top.”
The “Mamm O’Glam” concept was his idea several years ago, Health Plan Program Director David Schehr admitted after a little prodding.
The idea was a less strenuous variation on UPMC Hamot’s long-established MammoMarathon event, which originally lasted 52 hours straight – but now runs for 12 hours in a row, he said.
Special incentives like those can help women overcome reluctance to undergo a test that can sometimes catch breast cancer early enough so treatment can consist of pills, rather than radiation and chemotherapy or surgery, according to Schehr.
The Affordable Care Act requires most commercial insurance plans to offer free mammograms every two years, while UPMC Health Plan offers them annually for free, Schehr said.
“Preventive services are an important part of keeping yourself healthy,” Schehr said. “Early detection is important for survival and for minimizing invasiveness.”
Prevention and early detection also minimizes costs for subscribers and the plan itself, he said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.