Breast Self Examination Reminders Sent by Voice Mail.Business Editors/Technology Writers BIRMINGHAM, Ala ALA aminolevulinic acid. Ala alanine. ala (a´lah) pl. a´lae [L.] a winglike process. .--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 1999 "Please, please be sure to perform your monthly breast self-exam at the very first chance you get. And don't forget to call or pass this reminder on to your designated "buddies See buddy list. " in our program. It's so important that we all work together to fight breast cancer. It can make a huge difference for you, and for the people you love." says the message delivered to women in the Washington DC area. While October was National Breast Cancer Awareness month Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure. , this reminder message is part of an ongoing program called "Buddy Check The buddy check is a procedure carried out by SCUBA divers using the buddy system where each diver checks that the other's diving equipment is configured and functioning correctly just before the start of the dive. (TM) 9", a joint collaboration of Channel 9 Eyewitness News Eyewitness News is a local television newscast format, widely used in different markets across the United States. It is also the name of a very popular music package offered by Gari Communications. (WUSA-TV), Cancer Research Foundation of America(TM), Lombardi Cancer Center at the Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is the medical campus at Georgetown University. It is co-located with Georgetown University Hospital on the University's main campus in Washington, DC. , Comverse Network Systems, Bell Atlantic(R) Home Voice Mail, and WHUR 96.3 FM. Over 100,000 local women participate in the Buddy Check 9 program. These women receive a kit with pertinent information about breast cancer, instructions on conducting the proper breast self-exam, calendar stickers and a medical hotline number. In addition Channel 9 Eyewitness News emphasizes the importance of the breast self-exam during programming between the 1st and the 9th of every month. The participants are encouraged to contact friends or family members to conduct their self-exams. This year, Bell Atlantic and Comverse Network Systems teamed up to enhance the program by offering to send a free reminder message from Andrea Roane, Channel 9's news anchor, to the Bell Atlantic Home Voice Mail subscribers in the Washington Metropolitan area The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of November 2004. . Participants do not have to be at home to receive the reminder. In addition, it is easy for a voice mail subscriber to "forward" the message to a friend with Home Voice Mail, at a nominal charge, by just dialing their number following some prompts from the Home Voice Mail service. Bell Atlantic has begun an informational campaign for its Home Voice Mail customers explaining how easy it is to participate in the BuddyCheck 9 program. " While October is Awareness Month, it is important that women are reminded each month to do their examination." said Meva Justice, the Bell Atlantic Product Manager responsible for BuddyCheck 9. "We're pleased to be able to add a new capability to this very worthwhile program," added Rich McCusker, the Bell Atlantic Director for Home Voice Mail. Voice mail has been misunderstood mis·un·der·stood v. Past tense and past participle of misunderstand. adj. 1. Incorrectly understood or interpreted. 2. according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the TeleMessaging Industry Association's Executive Director, Ellis Hill. "This Bell Atlantic story is just one example of how voice mail has been used positively. There have been many occasions when voice mail has come to the aid of natural disaster victims during hurricanes, tornado tornado, dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air that develops below a heavy cumulonimbus cloud mass and extends toward the earth. The funnel twists about, rises and falls, and where it reaches the earth causes great destruction. , floods, and earth quakes", said Hill. In cases where homes were destroyed and telephones were ripped out, voice mail continues to work in most cases since the equipment is protected in telephone company buildings. This allows victims to put announcements on their voice mail assuring family members that they are safe and provides a means of communicating with the families until normal service is restored. A growing trend of more than 12% of US households use voice mail today in their everyday lives to provide a reliable, flexible, communications tool for everyone in the household. Hill says, "the reasons for this growth are the new applications people are finding for voice mail, such as the breast cancer awareness Buddy Check 9 program, and a better understanding of voice mail capabilities such as finding out that voice mail will answer calls even when you are on the phone. This means you never miss a message." |
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