OSF St. Anthony's Hosts Mocktails and Mammograms Event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Mammograms can feel intimidating, but Christine Tepen and Heather Thompson want community members to feel welcome at Mocktails and Mammograms. Learn how the Oct. 14 event pairs health screenings with refreshments.
OSF Breast Health Experts Discuss Mammograms and Screening Support
ALTON - OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center is hosting a Mocktails and Mammograms event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
From 1–7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, community members can come by OSF St. Anthony’s for a health fair, featuring free health screenings and refreshments. Christine Tepen, mammography coordinator, and Heather Thompson, certified breast health navigator, encourage people to come out and enjoy a fun day while taking care of an important health need.
“Don’t hesitate in coming,” Thompson said. “We’ve got you. We’re going to cover it. We want you to enjoy a night with us.”
Yearly mammograms are typically covered by your insurance. If you don’t have insurance or your mammogram is not covered, the Madison County Health Department has the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention program to pay for these health screenings. The department will be onsite at the Oct. 14 event to help people navigate this and make sure you can receive your mammogram.
Other health screenings, including cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure screenings, will be offered free of charge. OSF’s Psychological Services Department will have a booth with information about their options. The hospital will even offer genetic testing to people who meet certain criteria to help determine their risk of developing breast cancer.
Thompson and Tepen encourage everyone to come in and get screened. They ask people to call 618-474-6791 to schedule your mammogram appointment if possible, but if you can’t schedule, they promise to “literally squeeze you in.”
As October continues, both women urge people to think seriously about Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A survivor herself, Thompson highlighted the importance of breast self-exams and regular mammograms.
“I was diagnosed over 14 years ago. Had I not found that lump, I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” she shared. “Screening mammograms are the number one way to detect breast cancer, but there are other ways to find it. I encourage self breast exams, and I definitely encourage getting your mammograms every year on time.”
Women are most likely to develop breast cancer, and your risk increases as you age. Yearly mammograms are typically recommended after age 40. Anyone with a strong family history, especially a sister or mother who had breast cancer, is at a higher risk.
“We encounter a lot of patients that think, ‘Oh, I’m in my later decades of life, my 60s, 70s. I don’t need to worry about breast cancer.’ But actually, that’s the opposite. You’re more likely to get breast cancer the older you are,” Tepen said. “Those risk factors are the two that we cannot change. We can’t change our sex and we can’t change our age. It’s important to get in to get your screening.”
Tepen and Thompson recognize that mammograms can be intimidating, and it’s scary to think about breast cancer. But they believe it’s important to take charge of your health. Screenings and breast self-exams can save your life.
They hope to welcome many people to the Mocktails and Mammograms event on Oct. 14. They encourage you to call 618-474-6791 with any questions or to schedule your mammogram. For more information about OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center, visit their official webpage.
This featured article is sponsored by OSF St. Anthony's Health Center. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
More like this:
- Most Popular
- Top Stories
- Most Recent
