Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund Awards Grant for Breast Cancer Awareness Program to Healthy Community Coalition
Wilton, Maine/ January 28, 2008 – The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund has awarded a $40,000 one-year grant to the Healthy Community Coalition (HCC) to educate women 40 and over about mammograms, to connect uninsured or underinsured women with state and local resources that assist with the cost of mammograms, and to ensure prompt and appropriate follow-up after an abnormal exam. This year’s funding from the Avon Foundation recognizes the escalating accomplishments of HCC’s breast cancer awareness program, which has been supported by the fund for six years.
The breast and cervical cancer awareness program offered by Healthy Community Coalition educates women in Franklin County and refers them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams. This year, the program will reach out to women in a variety of settings and expand outreach activities to include special strategies to reach very isolated rural women. One of those strategies is to conduct home visits to educate women about the importance of mammography. These activities will build upon Healthy Community Coalition’s successful breast cancer awareness initiative funded by the Maine Breast & Cervical Cancer Program which covers the cost of mammograms and screenings for income-eligible, uninsured women ages 40-64.
“Franklin County has a tragically high rate of breast cancer mortality. We want to fight that by encouraging early detection when breast cancer is at its most treatable stage. The best approach in our very rural, tight-knit community is a home grown approach, and we are thankful to the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund for recognizing that with a continuation grant to the Healthy Community Coalition,” said Jennifer McCormack, R.N. HCC Program Coordinator.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S. and the singly leading cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55. According to the American Cancer Society, 980 new cases of breast cancer will be detected in Maine this year and 190 lives will be lost. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every fourteen minutes. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still represents the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as the Healthy Community Coalition’s help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation has awarded more than 1,000 grants to community-based breast health programs across the United States, including the Healthy Community Coalition’s Breast Cancer Awareness Program. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
The Avon Foundation and Breast Cancer Crusade
The Avon Foundation, 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 $525 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 Breast Cancer Awareness Program at the Healthy Community Coalition as one of 143 new grant recipients nationwide in the 2008 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.The Healthy Community Coalition (HCC)
The Healthy Community Coalition (HCC) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the Franklin Community Health Network, serving Greater Franklin County, Maine. For over 18 years, HCC has offered preventive and educational services aimed at improving the health and well-being of people in the community. With nine task forces, a mobile health unit, and a team of volunteers, health educators, community heath advocates, and other professionals, HCC administers programs and services including a weekly radio show and column, Community Wellness Fairs, the Youth Town Meetings, and the biennial Community Health Visioning.For more information on HCC’s breast and cervical cancer awareness programs, please call Jennifer McCormack at (207) 645-3136 ext. 5102. For more information about breast cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit them at www.cancer.org.
To learn more about the Avon Foundation, 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.
