Local Breast Cancer Outreach
By Susan G. Komen’s National Race
for the Cure®: Instrumental in Local Breast Cancer Outreach
How does a
community organization break through social taboos to encourage
immigrants to seek breast cancer screening? What would happen if a
medical center took its mammography services on the road, right to
the heart of at-risk communities?
For nearly 20
years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has provided
answers to similar questions through funding for basic, clinical and
translational breast cancer research and for innovative projects in
the areas of breast health education and breast cancer screening and
treatment. This year, 23 Washington, D.C.-area organizations
received money raised by the 2004 Komen National Race for the Cure®
for a total allotment of more than $1.57 million. The grant
recipients represent local education, screening and treatment
services.
Grant
recipient, Pharia Le of Boat People, S.O.S., said the grant money
will enable her organization to raise awareness in the Vietnamese
community.
“The Vietnamese
population has one of the highest mortality rates for breast cancer
because of the social taboos that prevent some women from getting
regular screenings,” said Le. “The Komen Foundation grant will help
us raise awareness and increase screening rates which will
ultimately save lives.”
Boat People, S.O.S. provides
needed breast cancer information and education to Vietnamese
immigrants and refugees. Through linguistic assistance, local
partnerships and intake for low-income women, the organization
raises awareness and provides screening to Vietnamese women in
Northern Virginia. Services include mammography screening,
culture-conscious education and identification of health centers to
serve low-income women.
The Komen
National Race for the Cure® is a significant contributor to local
programs like Le’s. A minimum of $1 million of the Komen National
Race’s net income remains in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.,
community – including Virginia and Maryland – to support local
breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment
programs for the medically underserved. The funds raised also
support cutting-edge breast cancer research through the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Award and Research Grant Program,
with a number of grantees in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Every donation to the Komen National Race for the Cure® has a direct
impact on the Foundation's mission to eradicate breast cancer as a
life-threatening disease through the advancement of research,
education, screening and treatment programs.
“These
organizations are saving lives through critical outreach and
education to the underserved populations in and around our nation’s
capital,” said Susan Braun, president, Komen Foundation. “The grant
program allows the Komen Foundation to extend its reach in improving
quality of care and fighting disparity among key populations across
the country.”
As a leader in
the fight against breast cancer, the Komen Foundation created its
grant program to focus attention and funding on potential
high-impact research projects that may not be considered for funding
by other agencies. An independent peer review committee evaluates
applications submitted for all programs. The Komen Foundation also
funds community-based breast-health education and breast cancer
screening and treatment projects for the medically underserved
nationwide.
“Without the
support of the Komen Foundation, we would be unable to do this type
of outreach program,” said Dr. Rachel Brem, professor of radiology
and director of the mobile mammography program at George Washington
University Medical Center. The program utilizes a mobile mammography
van to bring screening and prevention services to underserved
communities in Washington, D.C.
“We actually go
into the community and we screen people within their home network to
break down whatever barriers there might be to obtain mammography
screening,” Brem said.
The George
Washington Mobile Mammography program has provided more than 15,000
mammograms to women in the Washington, D.C. area. The van travels to
underserved communities at least three days a week to bring the
needed service to women who otherwise might not receive screening.
The program also provides information and education at health fairs
throughout the year.
For a complete
list of 2005 Washington, D.C. grant recipients, or for more
information on the Komen National Race for the Cure®, visit
www.nationalraceforrthecure.org or call 703-848-8884. The 2005
Komen National Race will be held June 4th in Washington,
D.C.
The Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to
honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast
cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international
organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working
through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the
Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A
global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation
fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer
research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and
community outreach programs around the world. Together with its
Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen
Foundation has raised nearly $740 million for the fight against
breast cancer.
For more
information on breast health or breast cancer, visit the
Foundation’s Web site at
www.komen.org or
call the Foundation’s National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at
1.800. I’M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273).
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