Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Receives Grant from Komen Baton Rouge Affiliate
Early Detection Breast Cancer Screening & Patient Navigation Program Funded
(Baton Rouge) - The Baton Rouge Affiliate of Susan G.. Komen for the Cure® has awarded a $55K grant to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (MBPCC) for its Breast Cancer Screening & Patient Navigation Program.
Mary Bird Perkins has scheduled seventy (70) breast cancer screening events for calendar year 2009. Komen grant funds will contribute support for this increased number of screenings and diagnostic services to be provided in the April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 time period.
Additionally, the grant will enhance the patient experience by providing patient navigation services. Screening patients with abnormal findings often need assistance to overcome barriers to care and achieve timely resolution of those abnormal findings. This may include explanation of options and procedures, scheduling of appointments, arranging and providing transportation, and providing means to deal with other obstacles that arise.
"The primary goal of the Breast Cancer Screening Program is to reduce cancer mortality through early cancer detection," said Renea Duffin, vice president of cancer programs. "This grant from the Komen organization, for which we are most grateful, will allow us to screen more un- and underinsured women for breast cancer and ensure that those who are referred for follow-up will have help doing so in a timely manner -- from the issuance of an abnormal finding to resolution of that problem."
Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death and breast cancer death rates are higher in Louisiana than in the United States, especially for African-American women. -more- This is particularly true among poor, rural, predominantly African-American communities within the MBPCC service area. When breast cancer is diagnosed and treated early, before it has spread to other organs, it is more curable.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center has been fighting cancer for over 35 years with locations in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma and Gonzales. It has comprehensive cancer programs with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. These programs are accredited by the American College of Surgeons' the gold standard for community-based cancer care. For more information visit www.marybird.org.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen Baton Rouge Affiliate Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever, and in 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The Baton Rouge Affiliate is part of the world's largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Through events like the Komen Baton Rouge Race for the Cure, the Baton Rouge Affiliate has invested over $1 million in community breast cancer programs in 10 parishes. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stay in the Baton Rouge area. The remaining 25 percent funds national breast cancer research. For more information visit www.komenbatonrouge.org.
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