The Avon Breast Health Access Fund has awarded a $45,640 grant to Wilcox Memorial Hospital to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the second year that the program has received Avon funding
The Avon Breast Health Access Fund has awarded a $45,640 grant to Wilcox
Memorial Hospital to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early
detection of breast cancer. It is the second year that the program has received
Avon funding to support its work on this important health issue.
The
Women’s Health Program at Wilcox Memorial Hospital will educate Kaua’i women
and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in
their own communities. Women participating in the program are personally
navigated through the system with respect and care. Women forty years and older
who are overdue for a mammogram and clinical breast examination and complete
the screenings will be rewarded with a T-shirt from Avon.
Since October
1998, the Women’s Health Program at Wilcox Memorial Hospital has reached more
than 500 women with information about the importance of early detection of
breast cancer and has referred over 400 women for mammograms and clinical
breast exams.
Every women may be at risk for breast cancer. It 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. Thirty to forty
percent of breast cancer deaths could be prevented if all women practices the
three early detection steps: the National Alliance of Breast Cancer
Organizations (NABCO) recommends annual mammograms beginning at age 40, annual
clinical breast exams beginnings at age 20, and monthly breast
self-examinations beginning at age 20. According to NABCO, the majority of
women who do not comply with these guidelines are low income and undeserved
women.
“Many factors ranging from fear to lack of a doctor’s
recommendation, keep women from practicing good breast health,” says Val
Medina, Program Coordinator of the Women’s Health Program at Wilcox Memorial
Hospital. “There is a tremendous need to reach women with information and
resources,” adds Medina. “We are grateful that Avon shares this
mission, and has chosen to support our program.”
Avon has funded more
than 500 community-based programs across the United States during the last six
years, including the Women’s Health Program at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. These
programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and
linking them with early detection screening services.
The Avon Breast
Health Access Fund is made possible with funds raised by the Avon Breast Cancer
Awareness Crusade, a national women’s health initiative launched in October,
1993. Avon’s Crusade raises funds through the sale of special pink ribbon
products by Avon’s independent Sales Representatives including the 1999 Pink
Ribbon Candle, and through a series of unique fund-raising events called the
Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day. This year the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Days took place in
Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Nearly $40 million has been raised
and distributed for breast cancer education and early detection programs
nationwide by the Avon Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade. Avon Sales
Representatives have distributed more than 80 million educational brochures in
a women-to-woman outreach effort, and many are serving as volunteers for
programs funded by the Crusade.
The Avon Breast Health Access Fund is
administered by NABCO, the leading non-profit resource for information and
education about breast cancer. Grants are awarded twice a year that support
community-based, non-profit programs across the country. The Fund’s National
Advisory Board selected the Women’s Health Program at Wilcox Memorial Hospital
as one of 23 grants recipients nationwide in the twelfth cycle of Avon grants.
These organizations were chosen based on their ability to reach women
effectively, particularly minority, low income, and older women, who are often
medically underserved.
For more information on scheduling a mammogram and
clinical breast examination, please call Val Medina at 245-1184. For more
information about breast cancer, contact NABCO toll-free at 888-FOR-NABCO, or
visit www.nabco.org. For the name of the nearest Avon Representative, or to
learn more about Avon products and programs, please call 1-800-FOR-AVON, and
for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day you mall call directly a 1-888-3DAY-AVON
(1-888-332-9286). For online information on the Avon Breast Cancer Awareness
Crusa