Susan G. Korman Detroit Race for the Cure Awards $115,000 Grant to ACCESS Health and Research Center
The Susan G. Komen Detroit Race For The Cure® has awarded a $115,000, one-year grant to ACCESS Community Health & Research Center to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the 10th year that the program has received Komen funding to support its work on this important health issue, and the grant acknowledges the excellence of the program.
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) at ACCESS Community Health & Research Center will educate women older than 40 who reside in the metropolitan Detroit area and refer them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their communities. The vital program also will:
► Break down the educational, logistical and financial barriers that prevent many women from
obtaining breast/cervical cancer early detection services;
► Raise community awareness about breast/cervical cancer;
► Stress that every woman needs to follow an early detection screening program through outreach
advocacy; and
► Focus on the special needs of Arab American women.
Since January 1997, the BCCCP at ACCESS has reached more than 17,000 women with information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and has referred almost 13,500 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 (ACS) 7,210 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in Michigan this year and 1,380 lives will be lost. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every 3 minutes and a death from breast cancer every 13 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 Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program help ensure that all women, including those who are poor and underserved, have access to early detection information and options.
“Many barriers, such as cultural inhibitions towards cancer disease, fear, transportation and language or lack of a doctor’s recommendation, prevent women from practicing good breast health,” says Dr. Adnan Hammad, Director of ACCESS Community Health & Research Center. “There is a tremendous need to reach women with information and resources. We are grateful that Komen Race for the Cure shares this mission and has chosen to support our program.”
Although the Arab American community of southeastern Michigan is the second largest minority community in the state, the community lacks federal recognition as a minority population. Therefore, despite the fact that the local community is beset with many of the same barriers to care as comparable low income minority communities, no federal funding is available to address the local gaps in health status and health care access. Therefore, private charitable funding and limited state grants have served a vital role in filling the needs of this population.
A recent study conducted by the Michigan Department of Community Health (Aswad & Hammad, 2001) demonstrated the need for cancer screening and education among the Arab American population statewide. In a survey of more than 1,000 Arab Americans, 11.6% reported having some form of cancer, while only 26.6% were aware of having been tested for a cancer in their lifetime. Among women, 44.8% had never had a pap smear, and 30.9% of women older than 40 had never had a mammogram screening. Among men, 60.1% reported never having had a rectal exam, and 45.6% had never had a PSA blood test.
“We are proud to support the excellent work being done at ACCESS,” said Maureen Keenan Meldrum, Komen Detroit Race Chair. “Despite great progress in the battle to end this disease, we can not rest until every woman, regardless of where she lives, how much money she has, or the color of her skin, has access to early detection and quality care for breast cancer.”
Since 1983, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series has funded community-based breast health programs across the United States, including grants supporting BCCCP at the ACCESS Community Health & Research Center since 2000. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them with early detection screening services.