Franklin Parks and Recreation is encouraging Western Tidewater residents to get informed about breast health.

The department is teaming up with Sentara Obici Hospital and the Susan G. Komen Foundation to host a presentation on breast health.

The presentation will be held at the Martin Luther King Center on Oak Street in Franklin Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is required.

As part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the presentation will promote the importance for women to monitor their breast health and of early detection of breast cancer.

It will also encourage attendees get mammograms on a regular basis, according to a news release from Parks and Recreation.

Mammograms can be used to check for breast cancer in women who are showing no signs or symptoms of the disease and can be an essential tool in early detection.

Additionally, the presentation will schedule 75 uninsured women, ages 40 to 64, who attend the event for a free mammogram and clinical breast exam at Sentara Obici Hospital.

The free mammograms will be awarded to the first 75 women who are eligible.

To pre-register for the event, contact Evelyn Blick at Franklin Parks and Recreation at 562-2475.