ACCESS Receives Grant from Susan G. Komen Chicagoland Area Affiliate
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., ACCESS Media Relations Specialist
July 16, 2015
The Chicagoland Area Affiliate of Susan G. Komen® has awarded a $75,000 grant to Access Community Health Network (ACCESS).
The grant will support its breast health program, which pro-actively addresses the disturbing breast cancer mortality gap among low-income, medically-underserved African-American and Hispanic women living on the South and West sides of Chicago. These communities have some of the highest breast cancer disparities in the United States. By integrating a continuum of community-based opportunities for direct engagement with health professionals and links to screening and affordable treatment options, ACCESS' program will empower 450 low-income women to make informed decisions about their health and overcome barriers to care.
"ACCESS is grateful to be recognized once again for its efforts around early detection of breast cancer," said ACCESS CEO Donna Thompson. "This grant will help hundreds of low-income women throughout the city of Chicago through education and awareness about the importance of early detection."
Susan G. Komen® is the world's largest breast cancer organization, and the Chicagoland Area Affiliate is one of 120 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.
"At the Komen Chicagoland Area Affiliate, we conducted a needs assessment of our community and discovered the need to address breast health disparities in underserved communities," said Director of Community Programs and Partnerships, Leticia J. Kees. "We are confident that through ACCESS' program, African-American and Hispanic women will have low-cost access to the care they need."
About Access Community Health Network: With 35 Joint Commission-accredited community health centers located throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, ACCESS is one of the largest networks of community health centers in the nation. ACCESS offers preventive and primary care services to more than 175,000 patients annually. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ACCESSHealth or like us on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/ACCESSCommunityHealth.
About Susan G. Komen® and the Komen Chicagoland Area Affiliate: Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever, and in 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen®. The Chicagoland Area Affiliate is part of the world's largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting breast cancer.
Through events like the Komen Chicago Race for the Cure, the Chicagoland Area Affiliate has invested over $10M in community breast cancer programs in five counties. Up to 75 percent of net proceeds generated by the Affiliate stays in the Chicagoland Area. The remaining 25 percent funds breast cancer research. For more information, call 773-444-0061 or visit www.komenchicago.org