Free Breast Health Seminars Coming to Islamorada and Marathon in April

Scheduling a mammogram in Monroe County can mean hours of driving a single two-lane highway, crossing bridges that connect islands stretched across more than 100 miles of open water. The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County is bringing the conversation about breast health directly into those communities, with free grant-funded seminars in Islamorada and Marathon next week that include expert presentations, on-site navigation help, and a $10 food voucher for each attendee while supplies last.

The Islamorada session runs Monday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Founders Park Community Center, 8800 Overseas Highway. Two days later, the identical program moves to Marathon City Hall, 9805 Overseas Highway, on Wednesday, April 8, at the same hours. Both events are free and open to the public, funded by a grant from the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation.

Local experts will present on screening timelines, early detection, and warning signs to watch for. On-site navigators can help attendees schedule mammograms or diagnostic imaging with local providers, and the grant covers educational materials as well. That practical, step-by-step support is central to what makes the seminars more than a lecture: for a working resident in the Lower Keys without flexible transportation, knowing where to go and how to pay for it can be the difference between getting screened and putting it off another year.

Florida's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, operated through county health departments statewide, currently reaches only about 7 percent of the at-need population because of funding constraints. That gap falls hardest on communities like the Keys, where geographic isolation compounds the cost and logistical hurdles that already deter routine screening. The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation grant supporting these seminars represents exactly the kind of outside investment that lets a county health department close that gap at the neighborhood level.

Both events are also open to men, a detail the health department is emphasizing explicitly. Male breast cancer is rare, accounting for a small fraction of all diagnoses nationally, but it often goes undetected longer precisely because awareness among men remains low.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, and screening mammography has been shown to reduce late-stage diagnoses and improve survival outcomes. Attendees can expect guidance on when to begin routine screening, what insurance and low-cost options are available in Monroe County, and how to navigate follow-up care if something is found.

To register, request accommodations, or get more information, call 305-676-3923 or email DOHMonroe@FLHealth.gov.