POMEROY — For the eighth year, the Meigs County Cancer Initiative’s Think Pink Program has been awarded $54,000 from the Columbus Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to provide mammography services, which includes including transportation vouchers and breast health education to 250 women in Meigs County.
Think Pink was one of only 20 breast health programs to receive more than $1.4 million in funding from Komen Columbus.
“The need is great in our community, and we are happy to partner with 20 programs in our 30-county area to help provide vital breast health services to thousands of women and men in our communities,” said Katie Carter, executive director of Komen Columbus. “It’s exciting to see the potential impact that these grantees will have in delivering life-saving breast health services to the uninsured and under-insured in our area.”
In 2011, all Komen Columbus funded programs provided nearly 20,000 women in Komen Columbus’ 30-county service area with life-saving breast cancer screenings, treatment and education. From the mammograms funded by Komen Columbus last year alone, breast cancer was detected in more than 92 women. Early detection is the key to reducing breast cancer mortality in Ohio- which ranks fourth in the nation in breast cancer mortality. When treated early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent, Carter noted.
Norma Torres, Think Pink staff director, and her administrative assistant Carolyn Grueser said they plan to use these Komen funds to continue the community-centered approaches to bridge gaps between access and delivery of early detection services including screening, re-screening and diagnostic care for medically under served and financially eligible Meigs County women.
Key activities include planning, coordinating and conducting quarterly Women’s Health Days (WHD), Breast Health Awareness (BHA) education and outreach, access to OSU mobile van mammography screenings, Clinical Breast Exams (via Ohio University Komen funded program) and gas vouchers for women receiving screening mammograms and diagnostic follow-up. Appointments can be made by phoning 992-5469 or 992-3853. On Wednesday, April 24, Think Pink will sponsor a free Woman’s Health Screening Day at the Rutland Civic Center from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, phone 992-3853.
Between April 2006 and March 2013, the local part time Think Pink staff educated more than 2,000 Meigs County women, provided more than 1,000 mammograms directly and referral for more than 300 women to other screening services. Additionally, the project provided transportation vouchers for more than 1,200 women to supply financial assistance in traveling to mammography appointments.
The funds that make Think Pink programming possible are due to the generosity of Komen Columbus supporters, notably the more than 45,000 people who participated in the 2012 Komen Columbus Race for the Cure last May. Komen Columbus has raised more than $25 million since it began in 1993; 75 percent of that money stays in its 30-county service area and is used to conduct breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs. The other 25 percent goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure ® to fund global breast cancer research programs. For more information, please visit www.komencolumbus.org or call the Komen Columbus office at (614) 297-8155.
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