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Home News Breast Health Outreach Program at UT Medical Center Awarded National Grant

Breast Health Outreach Program at UT Medical Center Awarded National Grant

Published: Monday, March 5, 2012

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) has awarded a $35,000 one-year grant to the Breast Health Outreach Program at The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) has awarded a $35,000 one-year grant to the Breast Health Outreach Program at The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. This is the second year that the program has received funding from NBCF to support its work on this important health issue.

The Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) team at UT Medical Center educates women in 21 rural and remote counties of East Tennessee and refers them to convenient screening days in their own communities. Funding from NBCF will allow BHOP to provide free digital screening mammograms for uninsured women onboard UT Medical Center’s state-of-the art Mobile Mammography Unit.

“There is a tremendous need to reach women with information and resources about breast cancer,” said Dr. John L. Bell, Director of the UT Cancer Institute.  “We are grateful that the National Breast Cancer Foundation shares this mission and has chosen to support our program.”

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, 5,020 new cases will be detected in Tennessee this year and 890 lives will be lost. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as BHOP at UT Medical Center help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and screening, including poor and medically underserved women. In 2011, more than 700 uninsured women received a digital screening mammogram on the mobile mammography unit through UT Cancer Institute’s Breast Health Outreach Program.

For more Information

For more information about the Breast Health Outreach Program at UT Medical Center, please call 865-305-9753.

About NBCF

NBCF provides funding for screening programs across the nation and internationally. By providing funding for educational programs and mammograms, NBCF helps save the lives of thousands of uninsured women by reaching them at a vulnerable time in their lives and ensuring good breast healthcare. The Foundation also contributes a portion of its funds to breast cancer research.