Ochsner LSU Health to host free lunch and learn for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

SHREVEPORT, La. – Ochsner LSU Health will host its annual VIPink event to educate women about breast cancer, the importance of early detection and the latest treatment options. This year’s lunch and learn will take place Saturday, Oct. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – St. Mary Medical Center, 911 Margaret Place, Shreveport, La. The luncheon is free and open to the public. 

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in Louisiana. In the U.S., a woman has a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer at some point in her life. This means more than 4,000 women in Louisiana will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. However, early detection of breast cancer can significantly increase a woman’s chance of survival. Regular breast self-exams and routine mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer early. It is recommended that women begin annual mammograms at age 40.  

The speaker for this year’s VIPink event will be Sindhu Devarashetty, MD, a breast-imaging specialist with Ochsner LSU Health. She will address the basics of breast health, focusing on what every woman needs to know. Dr. Devarashetty will also discuss advancements in the detection of breast cancer. Women who attend the event will leave with a goody bag and the chance to win one of several door prizes. 

VIPink Lunch & Learn 

Saturday, Oct. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport - St. Mary Medical Center Community Center 

Main Women’s and Children’s Entrance, 911 Margaret Place, Shreveport, LA 71101 

To register for VIPink, email Bonnie Hughes at bonnie.hughes@ochsnerlsuhs.org. To schedule a mammogram at Ochsner LSU Health, call 318-626-1540 or visit ochsnerlsuhs.org/mammogram to learn more. 

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ABOUT OCHSNER LSU HEALTH  

The Ochsner LSU Health System of North Louisiana (Ochsner LSU Health) is a partnership between Ochsner Health, the largest health system in the state of Louisiana, and LSU Health Shreveport, which includes the Schools of Medicine, Allied Health Professions and Graduate Studies and a robust research enterprise. Ochsner LSU Health provides healthcare to more than 165,000 patients across North Louisiana. With numerous convenient locations, Ochsner LSU Health includes multiple outpatient facilities, clinics, three acute care hospitals — including North Louisiana’s only Level I Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma Center at its acute care hospital and a newly renovated hospital with women's and children's services in Shreveport, La. and an acute care hospital in Monroe, La designated as a Level III Trauma Center — as well as Louisiana Behavioral Health, providing inpatient and intensive outpatient mental health services in partnership with Oceans Healthcare. The system has more than 4,200 employees that work alongside the Ochsner LSU Health Physician Group of 950 physicians and residents in more than 65 specialties and subspecialties.