Breast cancer? We Care!

The Northern Inyo Hospital, the ESBCA (Eastern Sierra Breast Cancer Alliance), the Rural Health Clinic and the Inyo County Health & Human Services- Public Health Division recently collaborated on and launched the We Care! Early Breast Cancer Detection Program.

As of January 2010, hundreds of women in the local community were excluded from receiving financial assistance for annual mammogram screenings when the state of California drastically cut the Every Woman Counts Program. According to staff at Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop, due to these cutbacks, the only women who now qualify to participate are those 50 or older and already enrolled in the Every Woman Counts Program prior to January.

The ESBCA kicked in $10,000 to cover the professional fees, and Northern Inyo Hospital’s Board of Directors has pledged to cover the facility fees. The out of pocket cost is only $10 per visit to local residents in the program, which provides baseline mammograms, annual mammograms and any necessary diagnostic follow up, and covers all fees for screenings up to an actual diagnosis of cancer, at which point other resources become available for financial assistance.

To participate, schedule an appointment with your doctor and ask about a referral for the We Care! Early Breast Cancer Detection Program. For more information, visit www.nih.org.

SCT’s “Merry Wives of Windsor”

It’s Shakespeare in the woods! And it’s free! Sierra Classic Theatre celebrates 10 years of community theatre with a special summertime outdoor performance of the Bard’s lighthearted comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” starring Lesley Bruns, Jarrett Smith and Charles Scatolini, directed by Allison McDonnell Page.

The curtain (as it were) goes up at 6 p.m. each evening on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, July 23-25 and July 30-Aug. 1 at Sam’s Woodsite in Mammoth Lakes on Minaret Road between Main Street and Meridian Boulevard.

SCT’s Stacy Corless said the performances are totally free, but did emphasize (hint, hint, nudge nudge) that kind, generous and supportive donations will be “hugely appreciated” to help defray production costs.

In any case, bring a picnic and enjoy the evening! Oh, and if you can lend a hand with the production either before, during or both, e-mail info@sierraclassictheatre.org for more information on how to join the crew.

They need your help, and after all, “the play’s the thing!”