The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program has awarded a $35,000 one-year grant to Cooper Cancer Institute to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the fourth 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.
Through the Camden County Cancer Screening Project (CCCSP), Cooper University Hospital cancer outreach staff members will educate Camden-area women and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities. The vital program will also work to dispel myths and misconceptions that prevent women from accessing these life-saving services.
Since 2008, the CCCSP at Cooper has reached more than 3,000 women with information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and has referred almost 2,000 women for mammograms and clinical breast exams.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States, and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 6,970 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in New Jersey this year and 1,340 lives will be lost. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 14 minutes. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Community outreach and screening programs such as Cooper Cancer Institute’s 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,” says Generosa Grana, MD, Director of Cooper Cancer Institute. “With these funds we will be able to reach many women in our community and provide them with information and access to vital breast care.”
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation has awarded more than 1,550 grants to community-based breast health programs across the United States. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
About Cooper Cancer Institute
Within Cooper Cancer Institute (CCI), teams of doctors – medical and gynecologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons and nurses – work together to provide cancer patients with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies available, access to groundbreaking clinical trials and dynamic patient-physician relationships. A full complement of support services including nutrition counseling, genetic testing and counseling, social work services, physical rehabilitation, complementary medicine therapies and behavioral health support provide complete care for patients.
Cooper Cancer Institute is a Major Clinical Research Affiliate of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cooper Cancer Institute is the only accredited American College of Surgeons Teaching Hospital Cancer Program in South Jersey.
The Avon Foundation for Women and Breast Cancer Crusade
The Avon Foundation for Women, an accredited 501©(3) public charity, was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women and today is the world’s largest corporate-affiliated philanthropy focused on issues that matter most to women. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, which observes its 20th anniversary in 2012, has placed Avon at the forefront of the fight against breast cancer; today, Avon is the leading corporate supporter of the cause globally. In the 20 years since the Crusade’s launch, Avon breast cancer programs in 58 countries have donated more than $740 million for research and advancing access to care, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Avon raises funds for the Crusade through the sale of Avon “Pink Ribbon” products, and through events and walks, such as the U.S. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series, which is the Foundation’s largest fund-raising source.
The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program
The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program is administered by Cicatelli Associates Inc. to support community-based, non-profit breast health programs across the country. The Fund’s National Advisory Board selected Cooper Cancer Institute as one of 120 new grant recipients nationwide in the 2012 cycle of Avon Breast Health Outreach Program grants. These organizations were chosen based on their ability to effectively reach women, particularly minority, low-income, and older women, who are often medically underserved.
For more Information
For more information on Cooper Cancer Institute’s Cancer Outreach Screening Program, please call Evelyn Robles Rodrigues at 856-968-7315. For more information about breast cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or www.cancer.org, or the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4-CANCER or www.cancer.gov.
To learn more about the Avon Foundation for Women, call 1-866-505-AVON or visit www.avonfoundation.org, where you can access free printable Breast Health Resource Guides in English and Spanish. For information or to register or support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer events, visit www.avonwalk.org or call 1-888-540-WALK.