DOWAGIAC — Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women in the country. The Borgess Tree of Love campaign while doing its part to help save the lives of women, has noticed a decline in the utilization of its free breast screenings in Cass County.

“I think that’s what the problem is. A lot of people that need these services don’t go see doctors because they can’t afford them and therefore aren’t getting diagnosed,” said Beth Cripe, the development coordinator at the Ascension Borgess Lee Foundation. “The struggle has been to get the word out to have women use these services.  We will be talking to churches, and our other avenue is newspapers and possibly radio.”

For the past eight years, Ascension Borgess Lee Hospital has been offering low-income women living in Michigan with free mammograms through their Tree of Love campaign. The program has served 250 women and men to date.

A woman who comes in and is either uninsured or underinsured can call the hospital’s central scheduling department at (269) 226-5002, make an appointment with the tree of love and their services will be covered. Cripe said depending on the extent of the services needed, the program may be able to cover more beyond the free mammogram.

“Say a woman needs to have a biopsy or a different kind of screening, we could probably pay for those services depending on the extent of them, so she wouldn’t have to worry,” Cripe said.

Worry could be another factor for why women are apprehensive to get a mammogram, she added.

“I think people think, ‘oh my god if something is found, what am I going to do? I can’t afford it,’” Cripe said. “We do have the funds to possibly continue support. As far as a screening, a patient does not need a doctor’s referral. If you feel a lump, you can call this number and get in for a mammogram, which is nice. Beyond that, then a doctor gets involved if there are issues or problems.”

While the program has not set a goal of how many women it would like to screen a year, representatives know the funds are available to help as many women as possible. In addition, all the money raised from the Tree of Love campaign stays in Cass County and is used for women who are Cass County residents, Cripe said.

“We could help many women, and that’s what we’d like to do,” she said.  “We have helped many, and we’d like to help a lot more because this community has been so extremely generous with their funds. I know [Cass County] has a high rate of cancer, and this is near and dear to their hearts.”

From a donation perspective, Cripe said she would like to remind residents that donations through the Tree of Love campaign are tax deductible.

Fundraising for the campaign starts on the Oct. 1 by sending out letters and placing brochures in different parts of the community where people can make donations. The donation cycle runs through the end of the year, but the program accepts donations all year long. A tree lighting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Dec.4.

Cripe wants to leave community members with a message of how important breast care and early detection is. The five-year survival rate of breast cancer, when diagnosed and treated early, is nearly 98 percent, according to a Borgess Lee Memorial Foundation breast health services pamphlet.

“I think sometimes people are worried about something being found, they are worried about cost, but that’s not a problem with the tree of love,” Cripe said. “All that can be helped.”