| Forum
to feature Megan Wilson
Megan Wilson, Family Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, will be the featured speaker at two Health Matters public forums sponsored by St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics. She will talk about breast cancer and cervical cancer. The first forum will be held in Kamiah on Tuesday, April 8 in the Kamiah Welcome Center. The second forum will be held in Cottonwood on Monday, April 14 in the SMH Conference Room. 
Wilson joined the SMH staff in 2005. She helps staff the Cottonwood and Kamiah Medical Clinics. She received her FNP degree from the University of Missouri in 1997 and her MSN degree from Idaho State University in 1992 The forums are funded by grants from the Boise Affiliate Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Inland Northwest Community Foundation. “I am looking forward to sharing health information with the women in our area. There will be plenty of time for questions, answers and discussion about breast health, cervical cancer, the HPV virus and the new preventive vaccine,” said Wilson. “Women often put the health concerns of their family members before their own, but during the forums we’ll focus on female issues. I hope daughters will bring their mothers and mothers will bring their friends. We’ll discuss issues important for women of all ages. It is not too early for teens to learn about breast and cervical health. We’ll use this opportunity to learn about the latest in health care as it impacts females.” A video on breast self exams will also be shown. Materials from the Komen Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the National Institute of Cancer will be available, as well as information from Merck Pharmaceutical Company, makers of vaccine for various types of HPV, the humanpapilloma virus. Wilson will talk about the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer and discuss the role of the new preventive vaccine, Gardasil. Information about coupons for a free female wellness exam will also be distributed. The no cost exams by providers from SMHC are paid for through a grant from the Boise Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. To qualify for the exams a woman must be a resident of Idaho County, be between the ages of 18 and 49, underinsured or uninsured and not have had a wellness exam within the past year. “We are glad to provide women with our clinic phone numbers so they can request a coupon and schedule an exam at no cost if they qualify,” said Wilson. “One in eight American females will experience breast cancer in her lifetime and most of those women will have no family history. It’s important to learn as much as possible about risk factors, preventive strategies and important screenings such as breast self exams, certified breast exams and mammograms.” Both of the forums begin at 7:00 p.m. They are free and open to the public. |
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