Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation NC Triangle Affiliate Funds Second Year of Innovative Breast Cancer Screening Program for Local Latinas
• More than 1,000 women reached by screening and education programs
For Immediate Release: Monday, April 10, 2006
SILER CITY, N.C. — A grant from the NC Triangle Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is funding the second year of an ambitious new breast cancer screening program for Latinas in Chatham County that in 2005 reached more than 1,000 local women through community outreach, education and medical exams.
Chatham Hospital’s Hispanic Health Initiative administers the program, which is designed to ensure that those 40 and older—as well as and younger women at high risk—receive the regular breast exams and mammograms recommended by the American Cancer Society.
“Through the generosity of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, we were able to overcome language and transportation barriers, a lack of insurance and in many cases a lack of awareness of the need for an annual screening so that 190 local Latinas could receive breast exams last year,” said Dr. Pam Frasier, director of the Chatham Hospital Hispanic Health Initiative. “Two of the women receiving their very first mammogram were found to have breast cancer. They are now receiving the care they need, so we are very grateful to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.”
In addition to those screened for breast cancer, nearly 900 local Latinas participated in education and outreach activities sponsored by the program to raise awareness of the importance of self-exams and regular breast screenings. In addition, Chatham Hospital teamed with Univision TV-40 to reach women in the Triangle area and organized one of the first Latina teams in the region to participate in the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s “Race for the Cure®” — an annual event to raise funds for community outreach and education.
“A stellar model for a comprehensive, integrative approach to breast health
education, screening and treatment, the Hispanic Health Initiative has
received national attention within the network of 116 Komen Affiliates,” said Pam Blondin, executive director of the NC Triangle Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. “We are very proud to fund this program and hope to help other service providers develop similar initiatives in our area."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2002 breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer death among Latinas. Research shows an estimated 70% of Latinas in Siler City alone have never had a mammogram or fail to have them at recommended intervals, placing them at increased risk.
About the Susan G. Komen Foundation
For more than 20 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs. Working through a network of U.S. and international Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, the Komen Foundation is fighting to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by funding research grants and supporting education, screening and treatment projects in communities around the world.
