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| Tuesday, March 09, 2010 |
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Local Organization Recognized with Support from National Program
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund has awarded a $60,000 one-year grant to the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute Breast Health Outreach Program to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the eighth year the program has received Avon Foundation for Women funding to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the excellence of the program.
The Breast Health Outreach Program at the University of Tennessee Medical Center will educate area women in 21 rural and remote counties in eastern Tennessee and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their own communities. This vital program will also provide free comprehensive education programs emphasizing the importance of the early detection of breast cancer.
Since 1996, the Breast Health Outreach Program has reached nearly 20,000 women with crucial information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and has referred a similar number of women for mammograms and clinical breast exams.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S. and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55. According to the American Cancer Society, 3,970 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in Tennessee this year and 910 lives will be lost. Nationwide, a new diagnosis of breast cancer appears every three minutes; death from breast cancer occurs every fourteen 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 UT Breast Health Outreach Program help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.
“Many factors, such as fear, keep women from practicing good breast health,” said Dr. John L. Bell, UT Cancer Institute. “There is a tremendous need to reach women with information and resources. We are grateful that the Avon Foundation for Women shares this mission and has chosen to support our program.”
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation for Women has awarded more than 1,300 grants to community-based breast health programs across the United States, including the UT Breast Health Outreach Program at UT Cancer Institute. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
The Avon Foundation for Women and Breast Cancer Crusade
The Avon Foundation for Women, an accredited 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women and their families. Now past the half century milestone, the Foundation brings this mission to life through the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program and the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, which raises funds and awareness to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer, with a focus on the medically underserved. Since 1992 the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has raised and awarded more than $640 million worldwide for medical research; access to care; support services; screening and diagnostics; and education and awareness. The largest fundraising program in the U.S. is the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series.
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund
The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund 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 the UT Cancer Institute’s Breast Health Outreach Program at the UT Medical Center as one of 125 new grant recipients nationwide in the 2010 cycle of Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund 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 the Breast Health Outreach Program, please call 865.305.9753. 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 also access the free printable Breast Health Resource Guide 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.
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