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Florida Hospital and city leaders kick off Pink Out, announce mammograms for $30 in 30 minutes through October.
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Flamingos are taking up residence at Lake Eola, and one of the lake's iconic swan boats is taking on a new pink look to match its colorful relatives.
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To kick off Florida Hospital's annual Pink Out initiative, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 3 City Commissioner Robert F. Stuart and leaders from Florida Hospital for Women gathered Tuesday to debut a newly painted swan. The swan boat, one out of eight on the lake, will remain pink during October to represent the one in eight women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer over their lifetime.
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During the event, Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Stuart also officially proclaimed October 2018 "Pink Out Month."
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The Pink Out initiative raises funds -- through sales of paper flamingos and donations -- that provides access to breast cancer screenings and care to Central Florida's underserved and uninsured.
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Pink Out has funded screening mammograms and additional diagnostic testing for close to 9,000 uninsured and underserved women since 2010. Several dozen of those women were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer as a result of the mammograms they received.
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"The City of Orlando is pleased to partner with Florida Hospital on this important initiative," said Mayor Dyer. "We know that mammograms are a key element in detecting breast cancer early, when it's most treatable -- and the more widely we can spread this message to women in our community, the better."
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Since Pink Out's inception, flamingo flocks have sprung up in city parks, businesses and residential lawns. In keeping with tradition, 10 locations throughout Central Florida, including Lake Eola Park, will turn pink with flamingo flocks in October.
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"Pink Out is a cause that is close to my heart and it's a wonderful way for residents to come together to raise awareness about a disease that has personally affected so many women and families in our city," said Commissioner Stuart. "I am grateful to Florida Hospital for recognizing the importance of making health care accessible to everyone in our community."
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More than 265,000 women nationwide are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
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"Women often put the health care needs of others before their own, so we need to make it easy for women across our community to have access to the tools they need to stay healthy," said Dr. Olga Ivanov, a breast surgeon at Florida Hospital. "Breast cancer is treatable when detected early. Getting a mammogram is not only extremely important, it can also be convenient and affordable."
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Throughout October, Florida Hospital is offering mammograms for $30 in 30 minutes without a physician's referral at 13 Central Florida locations. To learn more, visit PinkOut.com.
