The traditional pink stripe down the center of Broad Street in honor of Paint the Town Pink might have to make an eastward turn into Fair Haven this year. (Click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

For the second straight year, Riverview Medical Center is taking the pink paintbrush outside Red Bank in a push to spread its message of breast cancer awareness.

In 2011, it’ll be Fair Haven — or Pink Haven? — jumping onboard the hospital’s heavy PR campaign promoting breast cancer detection and prevention.

Expect to see much of the same of what Red Bank has done the last four years: lectures, fundraisers and lots of pink.

The borough and its businesses are ready to get in on the action.

“The feedback has been tremendous. (Businesses) feel they’d really like to be a part of it,” said Kim Cugini, a borough resident who’s heading up the local campaign. “Every little thing can help bring in people, and I think it will be really beneficial for the town.”

This will make Fair Haven the third town to apply the blush. Started five years ago in Red Bank, Riverview broadened the campaign to Monmouth Beach last year.

Tom Paolella, the hospital’s media rep, said it’s the goal of Meridian Health, which owns Riverview, to get towns from all over Monmouth and Ocean counties involved in the week-long event, held annually in the first week of May.

Fair Haven’s council didn’t hesitate to oblige.

“I can think off the top of my head of five or six Fair Haven w0men who’ve had breast cancer, so it’s definitely a pervasive problem,” Mayor Mike Halfacre said. “I can’t imagine the town not welcoming it with open arms to get involved.”

Paollela said the Paint the Town Pink campaign will kick off in Fair Haven April 30 and run until May 7.