County Executive encourages downtown businesses to also promote breast cancer awareness

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein today turned the Courthouse fountain pink in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“For the sixth consecutive year, the water in the Allegheny County Courthouse fountain will flow pink throughout the month of October to promote breast cancer awareness,” said Onorato. “Breast cancer is treatable and survivable if it is caught early, and we hope the fountain will remind women and their loved ones of that fact.”

Once again this year, the County Executive has asked other organizations to join in the pink fountain effort to raise awareness and demonstrate our region’s commitment to continued education and research for a cure.

“If by turning our fountain pink again this year reminds just one woman to get a mammogram, it’s a tremendous success,” said Weinstein. “Breast cancer has touched all of our lives in some way, and without question, early detection is the key. I'm proud of our commitment to help find the cure.”

According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 8 women in the United States (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. More than 207,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women this year. While there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States today, it is estimated that approximately 40,000 women will die from the disease in 2011.

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For information on breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and support, visit the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition website at  www.PABreastCancer.org.

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