Clarksville's Growing. So Is the Breast Cancer Death Rate.
Clarksville’s population boom that brought new homes, new jobs and new life has revealed a quiet crisis beneath its progress.
Women in Montgomery County are dying from breast cancer at rates that place the county among Tennessee’s worst performers.
According to a report by Montgomery County Health Director Joey Smith and Austin Peay State University nursing professor Dr. Patty Orr, Montgomery County ranks 88th out of 95 counties in Tennessee for both breast cancer incidence and mortality. Their analysis, featured in APSU’s alumni magazine, revealed that many women here aren’t being diagnosed until their cancer is already advanced when treatment options narrow and survival odds drop.
It’s a sobering contrast for one of Tennessee’s largest and fastest-growing cities. Clarksville is now the state’s fourth-largest municipality, yet its breast health outcomes look more like those of isolated, rural regions.
A study published in BMC Women’s Health helps explain why this happens. Researchers from the Tennessee Department of Health analyzed more than 59,000 breast cancer cases across all 95 counties between 2005 and 2015. They found that while breast cancer incidence rates were fairly consistent statewide, mortality rates spiked in counties with fewer healthcare resources, lower screening access, and greater socioeconomic barriers.
In other words, women in some Tennessee counties aren’t dying because they develop breast cancer more often. They’re dying because they’re diagnosed later and treated later.
The study used Geographic Information System mapping to identify where disparities cluster. It found that geographic isolation, limited transportation and income-based barriers all create measurable survival gaps. Public insurance status and marital status were also linked to delayed diagnoses, factors that often correlate with lower income and fewer social supports.
Montgomery County fits that pattern. Even as Clarksville expands rapidly, access to specialized breast health care has lagged behind its population growth. The nearest major cancer centers remain in Nashville, making early screening or follow-up imaging a logistical and financial challenge for many residents.
Recognizing that gap, Ascension Saint Thomas has launched a mobile mammography unit to bring breast screening directly into Montgomery County. I’m collaborating with their team to share my own breast cancer story and highlight how women can take advantage of these local resources. Through my app, Feel For Your Life, we’re helping women track self-exams, understand their risk and get connected to screening locations, including the mobile unit stops across Clarksville this October.
Here's where you can find the mobile mammogram unit this month:
Oct. 8: City of Clarksville Benefits Fair, 1 Public Sq., Ste. 38, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Oct. 10: Montgomery County Health Department, 330 Pageant Lane, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Oct. 16: Queen City Women’s Health, 751 Chesapeake Lane, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
With Clarksville’s population continuing to climb, and a new Ascension Saint Thomas hospital on the horizon, this kind of outreach is critical. It bridges the gap between awareness and access in a community that’s growing fast and a healthcare system still trying to catch up.
To make your appointment for the mobile mammogram unit, click here.
