The Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® announced today it is granting $1.3 million dollars to the Washington State Breast, Cervical, and Colon Health Program (BCCHP) to provide breast cancer screenings for low-income women. The funding will immediately provide support for the approximately 1,000 low-income women on a wait list for mammograms in Western Washington.
BCCHP serves high-risk, underserved women, who are low-income, uninsured or underinsured.. The grant from Komen Puget Sound enables funding for more than 14,000 breast cancer screenings and diagnostic services over the coming year.
“As a breast cancer survivor I know how important early detection is,” said Governor Chris Gregoire. “With about 1,000 women in Washington on a wait list for needed mammograms, this $1.3 million grant from Komen Puget Sound will help make an immediate and important difference for low-income and underserved women in our community.”
Early detection via screenings and mammograms is the key to reducing the breast cancer mortality rate. If breast cancer is detected early, the five year survival rate is 98 percent. If it is detected in later stages, when it has had a chance to spread, the five year survival rate drops to less than a 25 percent.
“We are dedicated to fighting breast cancer on every front,” said Cheryl Shaw, Executive Director of Komen Puget Sound. “Funding for BCCHP is a cornerstone of our efforts to ensure all women – particularly low-income and underserved – have access to life-saving breast cancer screening.”
In 2011, Komen Puget Sound invested more than $2 million to fight breast cancer locally and $700,000 for global medical research to find a cure for this disease. Next month, Komen Puget Sound will announce additional local grants to provide Western Washington women treatment support, patient navigation and breast health education. For more information, visit us at http://www.komenpugetsound.org.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Komen Puget Sound Affiliate
The Puget Sound Affiliate was established in 1993 and has invested nearly $23 million to fund local breast health education, screening and treatment support in Western Washington and for research to find the cures for breast cancer. The Puget Sound Affiliate is one of the largest Komen Affiliates out of a network of 120 across the country. It focuses its efforts on saving lives by funding education and early detection, as well as patient assistance and patient navigation in 16 counties in Western Washington. To learn more about Komen Puget Sound, please go to www.komenpugetsound.org. Follow us on Twitter (@KomenPugetSound) or Facebook (facebook.com/KomenPugetSound)