The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has given 78-thousand-dollars in aid to health care centers in Bennington County, Vermont, as one of the areas identified with the highest need for breast cancer screenings in the region. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports...
$78,000 has been granted by Susan G Komen for the cure to health care centers in Bennington County alone. In a recent round of grants from the Komen foundation’s Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate, clinics and hospitals across the two states were awarded funding to provide underinsured and uninsured women with breast cancer screenings, support for families struggling with breast cancer, funding to provide outreach to inform women of breast cancer, and more.
Deborah Peterson, Executive Director of Komen’s Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate said that applications reviewed by Komen’s independent panel were applied to the organization’s most recent Community Profile…
In Bennington County, the Bennington Free Clinic was awarded $48,000 for it’s “Calling All Women” breast cancer outreach and screenings program.
Southwestern Vermont Health Care received two grants totaling $30,000 for two separate initiatives, including their Breast Health and Outreach program to help provide free screenings and inform the public, and the Camisole and Cancer Treatment Handbooks Program to support the families of those with a member suffering from breast cancer.
Shannon Tatro is SVMC’s breast health navigator. She said that many families in Southern Vermont earn less than the statewide average, and a lack of insurance is common.
Tatro added that SVMC performed 9,000 breast cancer screening mammograms in the past year and that Bennington County has the highest rate of breast cancer in the state.
Spokeswoman Eileen Druckenmiller mentioned that SVMC’s outreach program will head to employers in the area, as well as community retail outlets and events to extend resources about mammograms.
Throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, about half a million dollars in total funding was awarded this round to hospitals and clincs by Komen to assist in breast cancer screenings and awareness.
http://komenvtnh.org/
