assist patients fighting what was then an incurable disease. Over fifty years later, with its mandate expanded, the Bermuda TB, Cancer & Health Association, as it is now known, is continuing in the same endeavour. The only aspect that has changed is the nature of the illness it is battling. Although it is still concerned with TB, the majority of people it aids are women testing for breast cancer and diabetes sufferers -- both breast cancer and diabetes are major killers and there is no known cure for either. "What makes us a charity is the help we give to diabetics on the Island,'' explained the group's executive secretary, Elaine Harrington. "They can get their medication from us just about at cost price. We are also the main supplier of service for mammograms; doing about at least 4,000 patients per year.'' With breast cancer the number one form of cancer affecting women, Mrs. Harrington said the charity is working hard to strengthen their facilities in that area, and is now seeking accreditation as one method of improvement. "We're seeking (it) through Canada and we only have to take one more step after which we'll be the only unit on the Island that is accredited,'' she said. According to Mrs.

Harrington, the Association processes and stores all the film used during the mammography process. Although the work was done successfully, the charity had a minor problem with the quality of their results on the two types of film it used. "We had problems with gridlines,'' she said. "And even though we have since gotten two units that have eliminated the gridlines, we have now got to find a super duper film. But we hope to have that soon.'' The Association, through its clinic, on Cedar Avenue, enables women to have X-rays done there, said Mrs. Harrington. "One good thing is that our consultant, Ian Harvey, treats everybody individually to determine when to bring a patient back. Each client's medical chart is very carefully followed. The care and treatment is very personal for each patient. It's not just, if you are over 40 years old, come back and see us every two years and if you're 35 every three or whatever.'' Mrs. Harrington said that the charity has a full patient load, with approximately 30 or so patients in to the clinic every day. "Most are doctors' referrals, but if there's a show on television about self-breast examinations or breast cancer -- which can frighten women -- telling what preventive methods should be done, we tend to get a spate of phone calls.'' The Association did not get very involved in educating the public about breast cancer or diabetes concerns, Mrs. Harrington explained, mainly because it really just did not have the facilities to do so. "But we've now employed a public relations person, so it will be re-instated this year. The idea being to make people more aware, mostly of the self-breast examination, but also to have that first checkup with their doctor.'' The association's objective is still to help Bermudians avoid serious and debilitating illness, whether it be through early detection and prompt treatment in the case of breast cancer or regular and affordable medication in the case of diabetes. A pioneer in health care on the island, the association was responsible for organising the first mass chest X-ray programme to test for TB and for prompting the Immigration Department to make chest X-rays mandatory for in-coming workers, as well as for introducing mammography which it did in 1973. Today it conducts 75 per cent of mammograms on the island. PHOTO HEALTH HTH Elaine Harrington