Cuomo Announces Extended Breast Cancer Screening Hours at NYC Hospitals

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo held a Friday press conference in Inwood to announce that 38 hospitals in New York City will offer extended hours for breast cancer screenings as part of the state's "Get Screened, No Excuses" initiative.

Local politicians such as Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Public Advocate Letitia James and State Sen. Adriano Espaillat joined to governor to raise awareness about the importance of getting screened, a procedure generally underutilized in working class neighborhoods.

The "Get Screened, No Excuses" initiative will require participating hospitals to offer breast cancer screening from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, according to a press release.

"Early detection is the best way to beat breast cancer," Cuomo said in a statement. "When breast cancer touched our family, we made it a mission to help ensure no New Yorker had to experience the anguish, anxiety and uncertainly that we did. We have advanced the most robust breast cancer screening program in the country that knocks down barriers and makes sure every woman — regardless of her financial background or busy schedule — can catch and treat this disease early."

Cuomo's longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2015.

The "Get Screened, No Excuses" initiative was created by legislation signed by the governor in June. In addition to increasing the hours of access for breast cancer screening, the program also reduces the financial costs, according to the press release. The initiative eliminates annual deductibles, co-payments and cost sharing for all screening mammograms. Similar costs are eliminated for diagnostic imaging for breast cancer as well.

Here's a list of participating medical facilities in New York City:

Manhattan

• St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center: 1111 Amsterdam Avenue
• Beth Israel Phillips Ambulatory Care Center: 10 Union Square East
• New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital: 170 William St.
• Avon Foundation Breast Imaging Center: 1130 St Nicholas Ave.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: 300 E. 66th St.
• Breast Exam Center of Harlem: 163 W. 125th St.
• Midtown Medical Pavilion NY Radiology: 1790 Broadway
• Lenox Hill Hospital: 100 E. 77 St.
• Mount Sinai/Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center: 325 W. 15th St.
• Mount Sinai Hospital Cam Building: 17 E. 102nd St.
• Metropolitan Hospital Center: 1901 1st Ave.
• NYU Clinical Cancer Center: 221 Lexington Ave.

Brooklyn

• The Brooklyn Hospital Center: 121 DeKalb Ave.
• Coney Island Hospital: 2601 Ocean Parkway
• Interfaith Medical Center: 1545 Atlantic Ave.
• Mount Sinai Brooklyn: 3201 Kings Highway
• Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center: 585 Schenectady Ave.
• Maimonides Breast Center at Maimonides Medical Center: 745 64th St.
• New York Methodist Hospital: 506 Sixth St.
• Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center: 760 Broadway
• Kings County Hospital Center: 451 Clarkson Ave.
• Brookdale University Hospital: 1 Brookdale Plaza
• Wyckoff Heights Medical Center: 374 Stockholm St.
• SUNY/Downstate Medical Center University Hospital: 450 Clarkson Ave.

Queens

• NYU Langone at Columbus Medical: 97-85 Blvd., Rego Park
• The Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens: 25-10 30th Ave.
• The New York-Presbyterian Hospital of Queens: 56-45 Main St.
• Queens Hospital Center: 82-68 164th St.
• St. John's Episcopal Hospital: 327 Beach 19th St.
• Elmhurst Hospital Center: 79-01 Broadway

Bronx

• Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center: 1650 Grand Concourse
• North Central Bronx Hospital: 3424 Kossuth Ave.
• Montefiore Medical Center North Division: 600 E. 233rd St.
• St Barnabas Hospital: 4422 3rd Ave.
• Montefiore Imaging Center at the Greene Medical Arts Pavilion: 3400 Bainbridge Ave.

Staten Island

• Regional Radiology: 360 Bard Ave.
• The Breast Imaging Center at Staten Island: 256 Mason Ave.
• Richmond University Medical Center: 355 Bard Ave.

Photo: Gov. Andrew Cuomo via Flickr