Susan G. Komen for the Cure NC Triangle Affiliate Funds Third Year of Innovative Breast Cancer Screening Program for Local Latinas
• More than 1,000 women reached by screening and education programs
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 28, 2007
SILER CITY, N.C. — A grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure N.C. Triangle Affiliate is funding the third year of an ambitious new continuum of care program focusing on breast cancer outreach, awareness, early detection, treatment, and follow-up support of Latinas in Chatham County.
Chatham Hospital’s Hispanic Health Initiative administers the program, which is designed to ensure that those 40 and older—as well as younger women at high risk—receive the regular breast exams and mammograms recommended by the American Cancer Society. In addition to more than 200 women screened for breast cancer, over 1,000 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. Additionally, women also received diagnostic services and follow-up treatment.
“Through the generosity of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, more than 200 local Latinas have been able to receive breast cancer screenings each year,” said Dr. Pam Frasier, director of the Chatham Hospital Hispanic Health Initiative. “We are very grateful to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for making this continuum of care program possible.”
In June 2006, Chatham Hospital’s program was featured at a three-day national conference sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Held in Washington DC, the event was attended by nearly 900 scientists, breast cancer survivors and patient advocates, including the First Lady Laura Bush. Dr. Frasier was one of four panelists addressing breast cancer issues facing Hispanic women and was asked to share details of the project in Chatham County. Frasier presented alongside panelists from Atlanta, Ga., Chicago, Ill, and Knoxville, Tenn., and discovered that the work underway in Chatham measures up well against initiatives in much larger communities.
“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 N.C. Triangle Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “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 that before the program, an estimated 70% of Latinas in Siler City alone had never had a mammogram or failed to have them at recommended intervals, placing them at increased risk. Studies also show that low levels of education, low income, attainment, lack of health insurance, inability to speak English, lack of awareness of breast cancer risks and screening methods, acculturation level and lack of physician referral play important roles in the lower rates of screening utilization by Hispanic/Latina women.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became
Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill the promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. Komen for the Cure 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. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-800 I’M AWARE.
