When Ali Clair of China was in the office recently talking about being the new Miss Maine USA, I learned that in this contest the contestants do not pick their platform, but the overall Miss USA Pageant has its charitable alliances with organizations dedicated to raising awareness for breast and ovarian cancer. Whether it’s encouraging women to get a mammogram or advocating for more ovarian cancer research in D.C., Miss USA is committed to fighting for every woman who is battling breast or ovarian cancer. Nice!

I had my yearly mammogram in December at MaineGeneral. It is really no big deal. It talks about 10 minutes and no, it does will not hurt. Things just get a little squished for a moment. The same with pap tests, it takes a few minutes and really does not hurt. But we all know healthcare can be expensive and when one is already struggling to pay the rent, gas and food bills, preventive care can quickly slide down the list of important stuff to get done.

In Maine we have a number of sources if you do not health coverage.  There are resources, the Maine CDC Breast and Cervical Health Program has free pap tests and mammograms. There is information at your local hospital and you can all ways check information at 211 Maine. 211 Maine is a great site, you will tons of information on a number of things.

Preventive care of our bodies, homes, cars, any of the things we depend upon is necessary and pays off in the long run. Come on ladies; treat yourself as well as you would your car!

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