Funding Will Support County-Wide Breast Cancer Screening Program
The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program has awarded a $35,000 one-year grant to MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper for its Camden County Cancer Screening Project (CCCSP) to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the eighth year that the program has received funding from the Avon Foundation for Women to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the program’s excellence.
The Camden County Cancer Screening Project at MD Anderson at Cooper will educate women in the Camden County area and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities; and this year, the program will focus on ensuring women 65+ are obtaining mammograms through their insurance plans. This program will seek to educate women about the importance of their breast health in the comfort of their own homes, community centers or churches.
Through the CCCSP, MD Anderson at Cooper screened 2,158 women for breast cancer and diagnosed 23 cancers in 2013. Additionally, over 5,300 women received information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States.
According to the American Cancer Society, 232,670 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in the US this year and 40,000 lives will be lost. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 13 minutes. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as the CCCSP help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.
“We are proud that the Avon Foundation for Women shares our mission and has chosen to support our program. With these funds we will be able to provide women with greater access to breast health information and life saving breast cancer screenings,” said Generosa Grana, MD, Director of MD Anderson at Cooper.
Since 2000, the Avon Foundation has awarded $76.2 million through more than 1,600 Avon Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) grants to community-based organizations across the United States, including the CCCSP at Cooper. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.