Protect Your Pumpkins This October with BRG, Pink Pumpkin Patches Kick Off Breast Cancer Awareness Month

BATON ROUGE, La. – Baton Rouge General (BRG) has kicked off its annual Protect Your Pumpkins campaign promoting annual mammograms for women 40 and over. At the heart of the hospital’s breast cancer awareness campaign are thousands of pink pumpkins that popped up overnight at all three BRG campuses – Bluebonnet, Mid City and Ascension. The pop-up pink pumpkin patches are sponsored by Ambetter.

The public is invited to visit one of the pink pumpkin patches to take photos and to bring home a pumpkin for free to display in honor of breast cancer awareness. The hospital’s Bluebonnet location features additional photo opps and activities, including:

• 15-foot inflatable pink pumpkin
• Vintage truck
• Pink lemonade, caricature drawings and pink balloons courtesy of Ambetter
• McDonald’s coffee and sausage biscuits will be available from 6-8 a.m., while supplies last, thanks to MacLaff Inc.
• Ravasio’s Italian ice
• Posh Pop selling pink-themed gourmet popcorn

Women can schedule a mammogram by visiting protectyourpumpkins.com or calling (225) 769-1847. They are available at all three of BRG’s campuses, as well as its imaging location on O’Neal Lane. Saturday mammograms are available at BRG’s Ascension location.

The awareness message goes on the entire month, beyond the beloved pop-up pink pumpkin patches. BRG is once again highlighting Protect Your Pumpkins ambassadors, a group of survivors sharing their stories to help amplify the message of screening and early detection. This year’s ambassadors are Tanji Cockerham, Julie Pickle, Jamie Samson, and Judge Brian Jackson, who is sharing his unique perspective of being diagnosed with breast cancer, something that happens in less than 1% of cases. Community partners will share breast cancer awareness information all month long, extending the reach of BRG’s message.

Also this month, BRG will also host its signature Mammos & More event on Oct. 12. Formerly called Mammos & Mimosas, this popular screening event includes a mammogram and clinical breast exam, plus mimosas and an exclusive pop-up charm bar by Forever Lillies, where attendees can create their own custom charm jewelry. Spots are limited.

Second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. And breast cancer diagnoses have increased steadily in women under age 50 over the past two decades. A mammogram can often find or detect breast cancer early, when it’s small, and even before a lump can be felt. Women over 40 should talk to their doctor about their risk for breast cancer and when they should schedule a mammogram. Early detection leads to a greater range of treatment options, including less-extensive surgery and fewer serious side effects.

One pink pumpkin per person is available for free, until they are gone. Additional pumpkins are $10 each. The unique “Porcelain Doll” pumpkins were cultivated to aid in the fight against breast cancer. Only about 50 farms across the country grow these pink pumpkins, which are part of a national campaign launched in 2012 to encourage people to show unity in the fight to find a cure.

On the Bluebonnet campus, the patch is located at the corner of Bluebonnet Blvd. and Picardy Ave. At Mid City, the patch is located on the North Blvd. side of the hospital. At Ascension, the patch is set up on the left side of the facility’s parking lot.

For more information, visit protectyourpumpkins.com. And follow the #ProtectYourPumpkins movement on social media.

About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.

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