‘We’ve come far, but not far enough’: Turner reflects on 20 years of AABCP

HOUSTON – When Rhonda Turner launched the American Association of Breast Care Professionals (AABCP) in 2006, she wanted to stabilize the post‑mastectomy profession and move on. She stepped away from day-to-day operations several years ago for family reasons, but today she is back at the helm. With a new textbook and podcast launching in conjunction with the association’s 20th anniversary, she is more determined than ever to continue raising awareness of the profession.

HME News: When you launched back in 2006, did you ever imagine you’d still be doing it 20 years later?

Rhonda Turner: I had absolutely no idea, although it seems to be one of the few consistent passions of my adult career. I realize that, while we've done a lot over the years, we still have a lot to do. And things that I had hoped that we would get done are still left undone. So, I’m not quite ready to walk away yet.

HME: What is one of the biggest wins you’ve seen in all this time?

Turner: Mastectomy is now looked at as a profession. That (terminology) is now commonplace. It's funny. I'll talk to someone I haven't spoken to in a while, and I'll hear terms that we struggled getting into the lexicon so many years ago. We have been accepted. It's recognized and I think that that is a very, very good win.

HME: What are some of the biggest challenges you are seeing in post-mastectomy these days?

Turner: One of the things that I'm looking at moving forward in the next five years is improving access to post-mastectomy care. Some women still have to drive four hours to get to a certified postmastectomy fitter. And there are many women who (want to become fitters) that cannot get the training or cannot get the (required) hours because there's literally no one around them doing it.

And there is a lack of continuum of care – post-mastectomy care for women that do not choose reconstruction can be a lifetime of care. Once the cancer is cured and once the surgery is done, the bulk of the medical community moves on because they've had success. We want to raise that awareness that these (fitters) are still here doing this work and it's deeply human work.

HME: What is AABCP doing to mark 20 years?

Turner: We have finalized a postmastectomy care textbook, so there is going to be a definitive resource that people can go to and they can understand it's not just about stuffing bras, which for so many years, was the understanding of what post-mastectomy is. We have a new podcast launching called Measured Moments for anyone involved within the post-mastectomy profession. And we’re publishing a post-mastectomy directory to bring everything into one comprehensive place.

HME: You said you aren’t ready to walk away yet. What’s a priority going forward?

Turner: One of the things we need to keep pushing further is raising the awareness of what a post-mastectomy fitter does and what they don't do, but also the stakeholders – the medical people, the insurance people, all of the people that are involved within post-mastectomy. We can't grow as a profession unless people understand what we do and value what we do.