Louisiana Becomes the 24th State to Report Density to Patients

Governor Bobby Jindal signed the 24th density reporting bill (House Bill 186) into law. The Act, known as the Monica Landry Helo Early Detection Act, will become effective January 1, 2016.

The bill, brought to Representative Montoucet by resident Monica Landry Helo after her advanced stage cancer diagnosis in 2013. Helo learned that the report of her mammography results, generated by the radiologist to her referring doctor, contained information that impacted her breast health in 2009 that was never shared with her. The law will give women the same information that healthcare providers have - including information about their dense breast tissue.

States with breast density inform laws in order of enactment include Connecticut, Texas, Virginia, New York, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Tennessee, Alabama, Nevada, Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Delaware and Louisiana.

For more information: www.areyoudenseadvocacy.org