Randolph hospital is state’s only BHOP grant winner, now 11 years running
Gifford Medical Center has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the Avon Breast Health Outreach Program to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer.
The Avon Breast Health Outreach Program (BHOP) supports community-based, non-profit breast health programs across the country and is part of the Avon Foundation for Women, the largest corporate philanthropy dedicated to women’s causes globally.
This is the 11th consecutive year that Gifford’s Breast Health Program has received funding from the Foundation, resulting in a more than $415,000 investment regionally to increase awareness of the life saving benefits of mammograms and clinical breast exams.
The only Vermont recipient, Gifford was selected as one of 120 grantees nationwide. Organizations like Gifford are chosen based on their ability to effectively reach women, particularly minority, low-income and older women, who are often medically underserved.
Through the grant, Gifford Breast Care Coordinator Cheryl Manns travels the state speaking to women where they live, work and socialize about the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer and sharing information on resources like Ladies First.
Since Gifford received its first grant in 2002, it has provided more than 4,500 mammograms and nearly 3,500 clinical breast exams through the program, and referred countless others to hospitals in their region of the state for care. In 2011 alone, Gifford breast care personnel spoke to more than 5,000 Vermonters in communities near and far about having annual mammograms after age 40, annual clinical breast exams and doing self-breast exams so women know what is normal for them.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States and in Vermont. It’s also the nation’s leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55.
According to the Vermont Department of Health, about 473 breast cancer cases are diagnosed among Vermont women each year. About 92 people each year die from the disease. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 14 minutes.
While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. According to the Avon Foundation, programs such as Gifford’s help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even poor and medically underserved women.
Pam Caron serves as director of ancillary services at Gifford and oversees the grant.
“I am so pleased and humbled that we have been given the Avon Foundation grant again this year. The importance of spreading the information about early detection of breast cancer to our communities is a passion our entire team of breast care personnel shares. I am very proud of the work they do and the care and compassion they show to our patients is phenomenal. The Avon grant supports our efforts and I look forward to continuing the mission in 2012,” Caron said.
Since 1993, the Avon Foundation has awarded more than 1,550 grants to community-based breast health programs across the United States. These programs are dedicated to educating underserved women about breast cancer and linking them to early detection screening services.
