Susan G. Komen grants funds to Moore County’s Mammogram Screening Program
| Date Posted: 4/14/2014
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Pam Kohl (far right), Komen NCTC executive director, presents a check from the Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast Affiliate in the amount of $50,000 to (from left) David Kilarski, chief executive officer of FirstHealth of the Carolinas; John Eastman, chief operating officer of Pinehurst Radiology; and Chris Miller, administrative director of FirstHealth Community Health Services. In return, the Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast Affiliate received $36,480, the proceeds from the local 1 in 8k Moore for the Cure. |
PINEHURST – The Susan G. Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast (NCTC) Affiliate has given $475,000 in grant funding to 11 community organizations that conduct breast health services and education projects in its 29-county service area.
Komen NCTC Community Health Grants support under-served, under-insured and uninsured populations in central and eastern North Carolina. Grantees are chosen by an independent grant review panel that scores breast cancer projects and programs on the impact, capacity, collaborations, sustainability, feasibility and evidence-based strategies they will bring people in the service area.
“Community Health Grants provide breast cancer assistance in areas ranging from mammograms and mastectomies to patient navigation and outreach to financial assistance through qualified grantees,” said Pam Kohl, Komen NCTC executive director. “Money raised at our annual Race for the Cure events permits us to provide this extra support to those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.”
FirstHealth of the Carolinas in partnership with the Moore Free Care Clinic, Pinehurst Radiology and the Moore County Health Department received $50,000 from the Komen grant to provide free screening mammograms to patients of the Moore Free Care Clinic and uninsured residents of Moore County. An additional amount of limited funding is also available for follow-up diagnostic services and financial assistance for eligible patients going through breast cancer treatment at the FirstHealth Cancer Center.
Representatives of the locally involved agencies say the grant offers a great opportunity to fill a need for low-income patients in the area.
“Given the demographic of our patients, screening for breast cancer is essential,” said Chris Miller, administrative director of FirstHealth Community Health Services. “We often find that people will forgo necessary health screenings because of the lack of insurance or access to affordable health care. This grant gives us the opportunity to provide mammogram screenings for patients who may not have access to health care, and assist with awareness, education, screening and treatment.”
“Each September, we host the 1 in 8k Moore for the Cure race in Pinehurst,” said John Eastman, chief operating officer of Pinehurst Radiology. “The proceeds from the race benefit our local Susan G. Komen affiliate. Last year, we were able to send more than $36,000 to Komen, so it is nice to see such a large grant coming back into our community to fund mammograms and treatment for women who need it in Moore County.”
The fourth annual 1 in 8k Rally for the Cure race will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, in the Village of Pinehurst.
The 2014-2015 Community Health Grants will fund six screening programs and four treatment/treatment support programs as well as one Angel Fund program, which provides breast cancer patients with financial assistance to meet their day-to-day needs while undergoing treatment.
The 11 organizations receiving grants this year are:
1. Caring Community Foundation: Pay it Forward
2. Edgecombe County Health Department: Edgecombe Breast Health Initiative
3. East Carolina University Leo Jenkins Cancer Center: Bridging the Gap for Breast Cancer Treatment
4. FirstHealth of the Carolinas: Moore Screenings program
5. Lincoln Community Health Center: Mammograms for Low Income and Underinsured Women and Men
6. Piedmont Health Services: Project Access- Chatham County
7. Rex Healthcare Foundation: Rex Mammography Assistance Program
8. Rex Healthcare Foundation: Rex Breast Surgery Assistance Program
9. UNC- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center TLC- UNC: Transforming Lymphedema Care for Underserved North Carolinians
10. Vidant Medical Center: Lymphedema Education and Treatment
11. Warren County Free Clinic: Warren Vance Breast Health Initiative
Details about the 2014-15 grantees can be found at www.komennctc.org/grants.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the Komen NC Triangle Affiliate
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, and the Komen NC Triangle Affiliate is one of 125 affiliates on the front lines dedicated to ending breast cancer in their communities. Komen affiliates fund innovative programs that help women and men overcome the cultural, social, educational and financial barriers to breast cancer screening and treatment.
The Komen North Carolina Triangle to the Coast Affiliate serves 29 counties in central and eastern North Carolina and will hold two upcoming Race for the Cure events: June 14, 2014, in Raleigh, and March 7, 2015, in Wilmington. Since the first race in 1997, nearly $15 million has been raised and used in local programs for breast cancer research, education, advocacy, health services and social programs. The Moore County affiliate is part of the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the affiliate stay in the Komen NC Triangle service area. The remaining 25 percent funds national breast cancer research. For more information, call (919) 493-2873 or visit www.komennctriangle.org.
For more information on the local race, the 1 in 8k Moore for the Cure, visit 1in8k.org.
